Catch the Wind
by Savannahbobanna
Summary: Axelle is seventeen, but her parents still haven't told her their secret. A new kid at school catches Axelle's fancy. When all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, Axelle has some big choices to make. Part three to the Twist of Fate Series.
1. Chapter 1

**One day. I put this up in _one day._ I think THAT deserves some love :)**

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I started to notice there was something different about my parents the day I turned eight. It was a family celebration, none of my friends were allowed over, not that they would come anyway. They thought I was strange, different, and I couldn't blame them. I _was_ different. My parents said that they didn't let my friends over to protect me, but I didn't exactly believe them. My grandma, as she came to be known, made a cake for the special occasion. According to my family, my birthday was the biggest holiday of the year. They didn't even celebrate the rest of the family member's birthdays.

It was the first day I noticed that my family didn't eat. It was the first day I really started paying attention to their habits.

One day when I was ten, I saw my dad, Jasper, move across the room so fast it was almost like he was invisible. I asked him about it, but he said he would tell me when I was older. I had decided that they were going to tell me by the time I was eighteen. If not... I'd think of something devious to do. I was pretty good at devious when I wanted to be.

I was thinking about them as I drove to school one morning. I insisted that my parents get me an inexpensive car. I didn't want to by judged just because my car was fancy.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed something that seemed very out of place. A shiny black motorcycle was parked in a spot far away from the school. I'd always wanted to try riding one, but my mom absolutely refused. With a bit of snooping, I found out she was some crazy motorcycle rider herself when she was younger, so I didn't see what her problem was.

I sighed as I pulled into a parking space. I was a junior. I was going to be eighteen in a little more than a month.

The bell rang as I got out of my car. I had to jog to make it to my first class on time.

I pulled the door quietly, hoping not to draw attention to myself. The last thing I need was another detention.

"Thank you for joining us, Miss Hale," said my teacher, Mr. Carlson. I sighed, caught again. Mr. Carlson was a retired military officer, and boy did he hate tardies. He'd gone a little soft, both physically and in the discipline sense, so he wasn't all that frightening anymore. He taught Trig, my least favorite class.

"Sorry," I muttered. I sat in my seat, telling myself not to snap at him. I was the only one with an empty chair at their table. I liked to think of myself as way too hep for the students in Forks, but I sometimes wondered if I was kidding myself.

My thoughts were interrupted when a burst of cool air flooded the room. Just as soon as it opened, the door shut, leaving a tall person standing in the doorway. Mr. Carlson stopped his lecture and turned to the door. It was never a good sign when he stopped his lecture...

"Hi, I'm Jack. I'm new here today." He held out a piece of paper. "Sign this?"

"Sit," said Mr. Carlson, pointing to the seat beside me. "I'll sign it for you after class."

Jack strode to the chair next to me and sat down quietly. He was tall, very tall. Tall, dark, and handsome. His hair was black, thick, and long. It reminded me of my Uncle Edward's hair. His features were... well, beautiful. His cheekbones were prominent, his eyes were a deep brown. His tan skin was complimented perfectly by his black, button-up shirt. As he sat, he pushed up his sleeves. His forearms were muscled... Jack was _hot_.

I was not usually the type of girl to comment on such things, but I just couldn't help it.

He noticed me looking at him and grinned. "Hey," he mouthed. His teeth were so white.

"Hi," I whispered back, not at all embarrassed.

He pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled a note.

_What's your name?_ it read.

I took the paper and scribbled my name down. I was surprised at myself. I, Axelle Hale, was actually passing notes. It was something so teenager, I was surprised I hadn't broken out in an "Oh em gee!" followed by a "JK, JK."

He slid the paper back to me. _I like it. It's different. I like things that are different._

I smirked. There were not very many things "different" in Forks.

"Hale, Black, detention after school," barked Carlson. I sighed, he caught us passing the note. At least he didn't pick it up, always a good thing.

Jack Black... I stifled a laugh.

He must have read my mind. "Like the comedian from forever ago," he said, beating me to it. I was surprised he knew who Jack Black was. He was a bit vintage for the Forks crowd.

"I'll just call you Jack then," I smiled. As long as we already had detention, we might as well talk.

"Yeah, it wasn't always like that. My mom got married and decided I could get to change my name with her," he explained. He didn't seem too beat up about the marriage. "The guy is okay, he's just really young. He looks about twenty-five."

I refrained from telling him how young _my_ parents looked. "Where did you move from?" I asked.

"Oh, I didn't move. My mom sent me here because she didn't like the education I was getting in La Push, or something strange and motherly like that." He shook his hair out of his face. "It's weird," he said, shrugging.

"Hmm," I hummed. I wondered why his mom would do that.

"Have you gone here for all your high school years?" he asked.

"Yep!"

"Could you show me around?" he asked, not even flinching.

My heart spluttered. I could see the other girls in the room staring daggers at me. "Sure, I'll show you around," I said, resisting the urge to smirk. I could see one of the girls mouth had dropped completely open, and I was a bit offended.

Jack noticed. "Pft, she better close it before the bugs fly in," he said. She heard him, her mouth promptly snapped shut.

The bell rang, the class had sped by faster than I thought a Trig class could ever go. I picked up my books and waited for him to locate his schedule.

"My next class is in building four," he said, examining the paper in his hands.

I sighed. "Mine is building two."

After we left the classroom, I could only point him in the right direction. I didn't see him for the rest of the day after that. I couldn't help but let my mind wander to him during some of my more boring classes. When the last bell rang, I actually found myself eager for detention. Maybe I could talk the both of us out of it, and then... I was being ridiculous, and it had to stop.

I entered Mr. Carlson's room to find Jack already sitting in a seat.

I switched on my "face" and approached his desk. "Mr. Carlson, we made a mistake. Can you please let us go, just this once? It is Jack's first day, after all. He didn't know the rules. I was just pointing out where his next class was on his map," I explained, trying to sound extra sorry.

He sighed and examined me closely. "Alright, Miss Hale, but if there is _anymore_ tomfoolery, _any_, I will have you in here every day for a week. Got it?"

"I read ya loud and clear, Capt!" I exclaimed, resisting the urge to salute. Jack grabbed my arm and pulled me out before I got in more trouble.

"You're so bad," he laughed.

"Oh yeah," I replied sarcastically.

"So... do you want to do something?" he asked. I was taken aback... Me? Do something?

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Well... we could go on a bike ride," he suggested.

"A bike ride? I don't have have a bike!" I laughed.

"I do," he said, pointing to the motorcycle across the parking lot. I thought about it for a second. Yeah, my mom would be mad... my dad too, probably.

"Is it safe?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied.

"Okay," I said, grinning. I _had_ always wanted to ride a motorcycle, after all. Riding it with Jack would be even better than riding it alone, anyway.

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**Review, I'll bring back my sayings.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here you go! :)**

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Flying down the road was exhilarating. The speed, it was the most intense feeling. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. I let out a carefree laugh.

"What do you think?" asked Jack, yelling to be heard over the roar of the bike. His black hair flew back in the wind. I had my arms wrapped around his torso. I could tell you one thing, he wasn't a weakling. I could feel his muscles through his shirt, definitely a plus. I suddenly had the urge to unbutton his shirt, I repressed it immediately. He was also very warm, I was almost sweating.

"It's amazing!" I shouted.

After about twenty minutes of joyriding, Jack pulled back into the parking lot. There were only a few other cars, everyone had already gone home. He parked the bike and helped me off.

"Thank you!" I laughed.

"I didn't know you'd be so excited about it. Whenever I even mention my bike to anyone else, they freak out. It's actually kind of entertaining," he said.

I felt a rain drop land on my nose.

"I imaging so," I said, smiling.

I felt six more drops hit my face. Soon it was a total downpour.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" exclaimed Jack. I headed towards my car. I felt bad for him, having to ride home in the rain.

"Bye," I called over my shoulder.

When I got in the car, I turned the heater on high. I drove home slowly, an unusual occurrence. My parents drove fast, way past the speed limit most of the time. I picked up my driving habits from them.

Jack... I didn't quite know what to do about him. He obviously liked me a little bit, but I didn't know _exactly_ how he felt. It irritated me not to know.

I pulled up to our house and got out of the car. My parents would be waiting to ask me how my day went. I had to think of something clever to say, just in case they asked me why I stayed late. I couldn't just go right out and tell them I was on a motorcycle. If they asked, I'd tell them I was in detention.

Once I was in the house, I went straight to my room. My room had gone through many changes over the years. From a princesses dreamland, to a flowery haven, and then to a simple red and gray color scheme. Two walls were gray, two were red. They were my two favorite colors. I had a computer in one corner, a queen sized bed in another. My windows were heavily curtained, my parents choice. I wasn't unhappy with the decision. Sometimes the dark was better than the light, in my opinion.

I plopped onto my bed and opened a textbook. I head a knock at my door.

"Come in!" I said.

My mom came in the door.

"How was school?" she asked. She sat down on the side of my bed. It disturbed me, how young she looked. She could pass for sixteen if she wanted to, a chilling fact. It was the same with my dad. Sure, they had the maturity of parents, but their appearance confused me. My mom had purple eyes, it was a little distracting sometimes. Once I could have sworn she had red eyes, but she told me it was just a trick of the light.

"It was fine," I answered nonchalantly.

"Really?" she asked. "I heard there was a new kid." Nothing remained a secret in Forks for long, I knew that much.

"There was. He sits by me in Trig. His name is Jack," I explained.

"Really, that's nice. Is he cute?" she asked. I could see her trying to hide a smile.

I sighed. "Yes, mom, he's cute."

My dad waltzed in. "Hey, Axelle," he said. It was the wrong time, boy talk time.

"Hi, Daddy." I still called him daddy to his face, and I was pretty sure he liked it that way.

"Did you have detention today?" he asked. He wouldn't be mad, just very unsurprised. Though, despite being in detention every once in awhile, I was a straight A student, and that's all that my parents cared about when it came to school.

"Yep," I answered simply. Short answers, the key to lying. Of course, I was never the best at lying.

"Axelle," said my dad, not exactly believing me.

"Okay, so I didn't have detention." I was so easily broken. I tried to be tough, but it never worked very well.

"Why did it take you so long to get home then?" asked my mom. She got anxious rather quickly.

"I went on a bike ride." I wasn't lying, just stretching the truth.

"And did this bike have a motor?" she questioned. She could see right through me.

I frowned. "Yes." I tried to hide myself behind my hair. I was scared of the reaction to come.

My dad was taking deep breaths, calming himself.

"Axelle Hale! What were you thinking?" he exploded. "You could have gotten hurt! We don't need your brains squashed all over the pavement! You made a stupid, idiotic choice," yelled my dad, failing at the whole calming down thing.

"As you can see, my brains are clearly not splattered on the road, thank you very much," I snarled, speaking before I thought.

"Attitude," whispered my mom.

"Bella, please don't side with her. You know how I, how you, feel about motorcycles," he sighed.

"Well, I can see why it would appeal to her." Go Mom!

"Just because she happens to come from a family of... thrill seekers, doesn't mean she can go gallivanting off on a motorcycle!"

"Did you just say gallivanting?" laughed Mom.

"Way to ruin my discipline, love," said my dad.

"You go outside, I'll talk to Axelle," Mom said, getting up from the bed. She kissed him quickly on the lips then pushed him out the door. She sat back down next to me.

"So, how was your first motorcycle ride?" she asked.

"It was _so amazing!_" I exclaimed.

"I know, that's how it was for me," she said.

"I sorta expect I'm grounded though, eh?"

She smiled sadly. "I think it's the only way to appease your dad. Sorry."

I sighed. "It's no big deal. I didn't have any big plans anyway, I guess." I might have had plans later... plans involving a certain Jack Black.

"I don't appreciate the lying, Axelle. Just tell the truth next time you think about lying. Your dad seems to have an uncanny ability to tell when you feel guilty."

"Yeah, I suck at lying," I laughed. She got off my bed and moved to the door.

"Have fun being grounded. No phone, no computer, and the only places you get to drive are school and the family's house," she said before closing the door behind her.

It didn't really bother me, being grounded. Sometimes I liked it, just because it removed all outside interferences. I could read a book, draw, write, without fear of interruption.

I eventually drifted to sleep, textbook in hand.

I awoke the next morning confused. I was still in my jeans, my shoes even. I groaned and hopped in a quick shower. After I got out, I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was curly, even when it was wet. Every once in awhile I wished I had straight hair, just to see what it was like. I never blow dried it, never straightened it, just left it as it was. I very rarely wore makeup either. Sure, I'd slap on a layer of mascara if I had to, but for school, there was no need.

My parents were awake when I went downstairs, of course. My dad was reading the paper, and my mom was rubbing his shoulders. She was whispering something into his ear.

"Please, save it till I'm gone?" I asked.

"Yes, your highness," said my dad. I could tell he was still bitter about the night before. I downed a glass of orange juice and grabbed a granola bar before I dashed out the door. I didn't want to be late.

When I got to school, the black motorcycle was parked in the back of the lot again. Jack was stashing his helmet.

I parked a little way away from him. I didn't want him to think I was some kind of creepy stalker. When he heard my car, he looked up and smiled.

I got out and started walking to class.

I felt a warm hand gently grab my arm.

"Aren't you going to wait for me?" asked Jack.

"Sorry," I said, smiling sheepishly.

"So, how was the rest of your night?" We walked towards Mr. Carlson's class.

"Hmm... not so good," I answered honestly.

He frowned. "Why not?"

"I got grounded."

He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Oh no, it's not your fault! I am so glad you took me on your bike."

He smiled the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. I would risk getting grounded again, if only to see his smile.

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**Review, Cab Calloway will crazy dance for you.**


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. Carlson eyed Jack and me as we walked into the classroom. We were early, a very rare occurrence. I was usually found strolling in around halfway through first period. It made him so angry that I had an A in his class.

Jack and I slipped into our seats.

"I'm sorry you're grounded," he said. It was the fourth time he said that to me in the last five minutes.

"It's okay! I swear I won't hold it against you. My dad is just crazy protective, it's no big deal. My mom was quite the motorcycle chick when she was younger."

Jack's mouth dropped open. "That is _so cool_!" he exclaimed. "My step-dad was too. All he talks about are the good old days, when he rode his motorcycle without a worry in the world."

"Ah, going through his midlife crisis a little early?"

"Seems like it," laughed Jack.

The bell rang, halting our conversation.

Throughout the whole class, I couldn't keep my eyes from wandering to Jack. He was wearing a black t-shirt. You could _see_ his muscles through it. I could see the other girls glaring at me, still sour that he was talking to me, not them.

"Just wait till he finds out who you _really_ are," snarled a voice behind me. It was Aubrie Jones. She's hated me ever since 1st grade. She called me stupid because I told her my uncle was my best friend. She said that girls were supposed to have other girls as their best friends, not boys. I threw my lunch box at her... she was nasty to me ever since.

Jack heard what she said. "She was the first one to talk to me in this place. Have you ever actually given her a chance? She's a really cool person," he snarled. I smirked.

"Mr. Black! Detention," snapped Mr. Carlson.

Jack sighed and turned back around.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"It's no problem," he answered.

I had no idea what Aubrie meant by the "real" me. I was the one who kept the tissue out of my shirt. I was the one who didn't cake on makeup by the pounds. I was the one who didn't pretend I had all the money in the world. Maybe she could take some lessons about being real from me.

When the bell rang, I got up and took my things from the desk. Aubrie shoulder checked me. I sighed, and waited for Jack to get his stuff.

"Why do you let her do those things?" he asked, taking my books out of my hands without thinking about it.

"I don't know. That's kind of how it's always been," I sighed. Stupid Aubrie... I hoped my lunch box left a scar.

"Why?" he asked.

"She called my relationship with my uncle stupid, so I chucked my Nightmare Before Christmas lunch box at her face. It was quite the scandal in 1st grade," I explained.

He laughed loudly. "So _that's_ why her face looked a little flat."

I couldn't help but laugh along. Sometimes it felt sort of good to be mean. My mom probably wouldn't approve, but I didn't want to think about that.

We reached the point where we parted ways. "Till we meet again," he said jokingly. He gave me my stuff.

"Ciao!" I called, waving my hand elegantly.

Once again, I had a one track mind that day. All I could think about was Jack.

After school, I saw Jack making his way to Carlson's classroom.

"Good luck," I said.

"I'm going to need it," he replied.

We said our goodbyes. As I made my way to my car, my phone buzzed.

"Hello?"

It was my dad. "Meet us at the family house," he said.

"Righto," I replied.

I climbed into the car and turned the stereo up all the way. Nothing was better than a good car dance when you were by yourself... or when you were with other people, really. Pretty much, there was nothing better than a car dance _all_ the time.

When I pulled up to the house, Uncle Emmett appeared at the door.

"Hi!" I exclaimed as I opened the car door.

"Hey, Axy!" he called. He was the only one who could call me that and get away with it.

I got out of the car and ran to the porch. He met me halfway and scooped me into a massive hug. I squealed.

"How was school?" he asked.

"It was all peaches and cream, Unc!" I said sarcastically.

Emmett set me down and led me inside.

"Hey, Axelle," said Uncle Edward. He looked at me strangely.

I knew that he could read my thoughts. I discovered that in 6th grade. He answered the question I had in my head before I said it out loud. I wondered what jello was made out of. He replied with a mighty, "You don't want to know." It was another little quirk that added to my family's mystique.

"I think you and I need to have a little chat," he said. He still had the same strange look on his face.

"I didn't even get to say hi yet!" exclaimed Auntie Alice.

"You can do it in a minute," replied Edward curtly. He took me by the hand and led me upstairs. He pulled me into his and Alice's old room and closed the door.

"What are all these thoughts about a boy I hear?" he whispered.

I blushed. "It's nothing."

"That's not what it sounds like," he said. He crossed his arms across his chest. He was going to be stubborn, that much was for sure.

"He's the new kid, just came to our school. We almost had detention together last night," I admitted.

"You rode on his motorcycle too, I see," he commented.

"Oh, that was so fun! Mom and Dad weren't too happy though," I sighed.

"I imagine not," he said.

"Honestly, it'll probably pass. It's not like I'm the type that people like to get to know very well." It was true. My best friend was my uncle, for Pete's sake!

"Yeah, uh-huh," said Edward, rolling his eyes.

"Just promise you won't tell my parents," I pleaded.

"As long as you do one thing for me," he said.

"What?" I asked. I had a bad feeling.

"Let Alice make you over. Just one more time! It'll get her off my back," he explained.

"Fine," I grumbled. I'd almost rather have him tell my parents.

"Thanks," he said. He opened the door and let me out of the room. I skipped down the stairs.

"Finally!" exclaimed Alice. She gave me a big hug.

"Hi, Auntie," I said.

"Hi, Babe. Now do I have some grand stuff for _you_! Come upstairs, I'll show you the dress I bought you. You will _love it_!"

"I'm sure," I replied. It was hard to remain enthusiastic. She dragged me back up the stairs. I'd be so mad if Uncle Edward told them. My makeover would be for nothing, and then there'd be hell to pay.

**Review, your day will be all peaches and cream.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh man! Have you ever straightened your hair, Axelle?" asked Auntie Alice. She had me sitting in the chair in front of her bathroom mirror. She pulled out every beauty product known to man kind, and to be honest, I was a little afraid of them. I'd never even so much as touched a straightening iron.

"No," I answered. I tried my best to remain civil, but it was getting hard.

"Look!" she exclaimed. She made me stand up. "Your hair is so long," she gushed.

It was pretty long. When it was all straight it trailed down to the end of my spine. I liked it much better curly, though. I looked too much like a hippy when it was straight.

She finished up with my makeup and threw me in a new dress before sending me downstairs. She told me to strut like a model, and I had to try my best not to upchuck on her. I loved her, but sometimes she was a bit much.

"Ow, ow!" yelled Uncle Emmett when I got down stairs. I took off my high heel and threw it at his face. "Ow," he murmured, catching it with the pointy part in his palm.

I glared at Uncle Edward. He looked blissfully happy, almost smug. I gave him the "you better watch out, you're next" glare. He didn't seem very scared.

After conversing with my family for a few more hours, and after taking off the hideous dress, Mom, Dad, and I went home. I drove by myself in my car. Uncle Edward and Auntie Alice were only visiting. They lived in Alaska, and today was their last day in Forks.

When we got home, my dad was still ignoring me somewhat. My brains had _not_ smashed all over the ground, so I didn't get why he was still so angry. I took his hand and led him to the couch. My mom slipped upstairs.

"Daddy, why are you still so angry?" I asked. It really was starting to worry me. My dad was one of my very good friends, I didn't like it when he was mad at me.

"Do you know how dangerous those things are?" he replied, struggling to keep his voice under control.

"I was, and am, safe. I promise, it was no big deal," I said, waving my hand nonchalantly. I was trying to make it less of a big deal than it actually was.

"I know, I'm just being a little protective. You know that I love you too much to let you ride one of those things again," he sighed. He held his arms out and I accepted his embrace. He could comfort me better than any other person I knew.

"I'm sorry I made you worried. Can I please not be grounded anymore?" I whispered.

"I'm sorry I reacted a little irrationally. You don't have to stay home this weekend," he said. "Isn't it getting a little late?"

I looked at the clock on the wall and gasped. It was almost midnight. I hopped off the couch and made a sprint for my room. I had so much homework!

"Night, dad!" I called.

"Night, love," he laughed.

I burst into my room,and I promptly fell asleep in my textbook five minutes later.

I knew I was dreaming when Jack stepped into my room through the window. It looked eerie because he appeared through the drapes.

"Hey," he said, brushing his hair out of his face. He looked so... so handsome.

I got out from my chair and met him in front of the window.

"Hi," I murmured. We were mere inches apart. He stepped forward, our chests were touching. He smiled his dazzling smile. His teeth were so white when compared to his skin.

I put my hand on his chest and pushed him against the window. I grinned wickedly. I pulled his face down and...

My alarm went off, jolting me into consciousness. I'd never had a dream like that about anybody before, and I didn't even know Jack very well yet. It mildly disturbed me. I needed to start getting more sleep.

I went through my morning routine quickly, wanting to get to school early again. If I was being honest, I wanted to see Jack.

I slid down the stair rail and skipped to the kitchen to get breakfast. I decided on a heaping bowl of Lucky Charms, my favorite treat. My mom and dad were at the kitchen table having a heated discussion.

"I think that they are okay as people," said my mom.

"I disagree entirely. Ever since..." he paused, looking at me. "We'll continue this later."

I cocked my eyebrow, but didn't comment. Sometimes it was better to remain quiet at the things my parents talked about. There were some conversations that I walked in on that were too odd to explain, so after I was about ten, I just stopped paying attention.

"No detention today, alright? It's Friday," said my mom.

I shrugged, not making any promises. It wasn't my fault if my teachers caught me doing something strange! I was just unlucky. Telling me not to get detention was like telling Johnny Depp not to be hot, it just didn't work.

I danced out the door to a song that was stuck in my head. After a good car dance, I ended up in the school parking lot.

Jack's motorcycle was parked in the usual spot. I was excited to tell him about my new found freedom. I hopped out of the car as soon as I pulled to a stop. Jack was putting all his riding gear away.

"Guess what!" I exclaimed. He turned around and I had to remind myself to breathe.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not grounded anymore!" I exclaimed. I had taken a quick liking to Jack, but it was probably because he was the only one who really talked to me around school. I tried not to dig too much into it as he pushed his hair out of his face.

"That's so hep!" he cheered.

"You know the word hep?" I asked, surprised. It was a word I'd picked up from listening to forties music, something I was sure he didn't do.

"Of course! Don't you know that I'm hep to the jive?"

My heart almost stopped. "That was what Cab Calloway called his album..."

"Yeah! Man, that guy danced crazy," he laughed.

"Oh, I know! If he wasn't drunk, he was high," I commented.

"Eh, it was the 1940's, I'm pretty sure they didn't care."

We walked into Carlson's class. Aubrie was already there, primping herself. Jack looked like he was going to ask me something.

"Hey, stud!" she called when she saw Jack. I rolled my eyes. Here we go again. She would try to flatter Jack out of his wits, but would end up looking like some bimbo. It would be entertaining to watch, but pretty painful for Jack. I sat in my seat and settled in for the show.

**That's who Cab Calloway is :)**

**Review, Frank Sinatra will serenade you.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Since my chapter yesterday was so short, here's another one. At almost 1700 words, I think it's a pretty snazzy little present :)**

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"Hi... Aubrie," said Jack skeptically. He could see right through Aubrie... couldn't he?

"Are you free this weekend?" she asked. She asked it so bluntly, no buttering up or anything. I would have expected _at least_ ten minutes of good ol' sweet talking. It was just what she did. It was also very like her to steal what she thought I wanted.

Jack hesitated. He couldn't actually be considering it. He was not her type... was he?

"Actually, Aubrie, I have a... a date," he said. He grinned, elated with his spur of the moment stroke of genius.

"With _who_?" she asked incredulously. She was probably thinking that Jack would drop everything just to please her.

"Oh, with Axelle, of course," he laughed. He threw his arm around me. Through the corner of my eye I could see him looking at me, almost as if to beg me to go along with his little scheme.

"Yep! We have a hot date. It's all planned out and everything," I said, leaning into him. He even _smelled_ good.

"You're going on a date with _Axelle_?" What are you, messed up in the head?" She was mad that Jack turned her down, so we were going to be the targets of her wrath for quite some time.

"Of course. She just happens to be the heppest cat I've ever met." Jack pulled me even closer. I tried to keep myself from fainting. Breathe in, breathe out.

"Well," started Aubrie. The bell rang, cutting off her retort.

I spent all class thinking of the different things that Jack and I would actually do on a date. We were just pretending, of course, but it was still pretty pleasing to think about. Even just pretending was good enough for me.

When the bell rang, Jack waited for me to gather my things. In a habit that was quickly becoming routine, he took my things, and we walked out of class together.

"Thank you so much," he sighed once we were out of Aubrie's earshot. "I thought I was a goner."

"No problemo," I replied.

"So... are you free on Saturday?" he asked. My heart skipped a beat. He wasn't going to ask me out... he probably just wanted some help with his trig homework.

"I'll have to check my schedule. I _might_ be able to pencil you in," I replied. I didn't think he could tell I was nervous.

"Is the time slot 'all day' filled in?"

"Nope!"

"Awesome. I'll pick you up at noon. I'll take my car instead of my bike."

"Nice plan." I already knew that my parents would not be too keen on the date thing, but if Jack brought his bike, I'd never see him again.

We reached the spot where we parted ways. He paused before he spoke, looking me over. I felt self consciousness take over. "You look beautiful today, by the way," he said before walking to his class. I couldn't stop smiling the entire day.

When I drove home that afternoon, I let my mind wander towards the reactions I'd receive from my family. My mom would be happy for me, of course. My dad would probably want to know where he lived so he could kill him in his sleep. I was just glad that Auntie Alice had already left for Alaska. She would have a ball playing "first date Barbie",

When I pulled up, there were no cars. It was Friday, the day my parents were gone until at least midnight. They always said that they were out, but they never told me where. I'd call the to tell them the news after I did my homework.

I was barely in the door when I remembered that I never took my things back from Jack. We had a ton of Trig homework to get done over the weekend. It would have been nice to get it done early, but I couldn't if I didn't have my books.

I was lounging on the couch reading a magazine, when I heard the roar of an engine. Confused, I peeked out the front window. Jack was parking his motorcycle in front of the house. I opened the door.

"Hi!" I called.

"Hey," he said, grabbing his book bag and slinging it around his shoulder. "I stole your homework, and I didn't think it was very fair if I had to do it and you didn't." He met me at the porch.

"I noticed. Would you like to come in?" I asked. I had never, _ever_ invited anyone inside the house, unless it was Uncle Emmett for a pretend tea party or something.

"Sure."

I opened the door wider and led him inside. He looked around in awe.

"Your house is _nice_!"

"Thanks," I laughed. "Are you hungry, thirsty?"

"Starving!" he exclaimed. I pulled open the fridge.

"Sandwiches work?" I asked.

"Hell yeah!" He set his bag on the island and pulled up a stool.

"We have the peanut butter and jelly variety, or the ham and cheese variety."

"PB&J for me!" he exclaimed.

"Excellent choice, my good sir," I smiled. I probably had about ten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a week. I pulled out the ingredients and started to concoct a heaping pile of yum.

"Where are your parents?" asked Jack. I handed him a sandwich and took a seat on the stool beside him.

"They always go out on Friday nights," I replied around a mouth full of delicious.

"You parents sound like the epitome of hep," he laughed.

"My whole family is, if I say so myself," I said smugly.

"From what I've heard about them, I can hardly argue there. You must have an intense music stash." He gobbled down the last bit of his sandwich.

"Oh, you should see it! I bet you I could fill a swimming pool with all of our music. I'll show you." I got up and took his hand, leading him upstairs and into our media room. The room was surrounded on all sides by bookshelves. They weren't filled with books, but CDs. The only break was a hole for the TV to go.

Jack stood in the doorway, shocked by the sheer amount of music. "Wow," he breathed.

"Well, come _in_," I laughed.

He stepped into the room and ran his fingers over the shelves.

"How do you have these sorted?" he asked.

"By year, then personal preference," I replied. It was something that my Uncle Edward taught me to do.

"You even have _records_!" He reached the back of the room, my favorite section. It held all the old music.

"That I do," I grinned. He pulled out a Benny Goodman record.

"We have to listen to this." He located our record player and popped the record in. Sing Sing Sing permeated the room. The popping and crackling of the player sounded perfect with the type of music. It just fit.

Jack grabbed my hand and started to swing dance with me.

"How do you know how to swing dance?" I asked. He spun me around.

"It's just something I've picked up."

The phone rang, interrupting our dancing. I grabbed it off of an end table and pushed talk.

"Hello?" I answered, slightly breathless.

"I finally got Mars Attacks! I'll come over and we'll make you some popcorn and pizza, whatever you want! It'll be grand!"

"Oh, cool," I replied. It was Uncle Emmett, and it was one of the only times I was not looking forward to his visit.

"Be there in five minutes." He hung up on me.

"Crap," I sighed.

"What?" asked Jack.

"You have to go." Uncle Emmett would not be a happy camper if he found out I had a _boy_ over when nobody else was home. "Quick, my uncle drives like a fiend."

I started to drag him out of the room. I almost threw him out the door. I could tell there was something he wanted to say, perhaps do, but he had to go if he wanted to keep his arms.

"Still picking you up at noon?" he asked.

"Of course!" I exclaimed. He hopped onto his bike and it roared to life. He zoomed down the lane. Three minutes later, Uncle Emmett pulled up. I was still staring out the open front door.

"Hey, Axy!" he exclaimed, getting out of his jeep. He approached the door. "So I finally got Mars Attacks, and I knew you'd like it because it has lots of exploding heads. Go make some popcorn, I'll... meet... you..." he paused at the threshold. "Wait right here," he murmured.

He crept into the house. I froze. He was hardly ever serious, so I was a little alarmed. I stayed on the front step for what seemed like hours.

"Okay, Axelle," called Uncle Emmett.

"What was that all about?" I asked. He was in the kitchen pulling down a bowl from a cabinet. He got a bag of popcorn out of the pantry and threw it into the microwave.

"I just... I just thought I heard something. No biggie," he said. I could tell something was bothering him, something he didn't want to tell me. Which was strange, because he always told me everything that was on his mind.

The microwave dinged and Uncle Emmett poured the popcorn in the bowl. He handed me the popcorn and the movie.

"Go start the movie, I have to call your parents real quick."

I was skipping up the stairs when I realized I still had to tell my parents that I had a date. I went into the media room, set the food and movie down, and grabbed the phone.

"He isn't yet. The smell wasn't that strong, but he will be very soon, I'm guessing." It was Uncle Emmett talking.

"Keep an eye out," said my dad. "We're still hunting, but we'll be home before tomorrow morning." I didn't know what he meant by hunting, but I didn't dwell on it.

"Hello?" asked Uncle Emmett. He must have realized that the other line was off the hook. "Axelle, are you on the other phone?"

"Yeah, I have something I need to tell my parents. You can finish your conversation if you want, though." I had to tell them something I didn't want to tell them at all.

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**SO! There was... a little bit of grandness in that chapter, right?**

**Review, Pepsi will also be for those who think old. (Says the one who listens to music from the 40s, knits, and does puzzles. )**


	6. Chapter 6

**Please don't ask why it took so long to update. Thanks :)**

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"What do you need to tell us, Axelle?" asked my dad. He sounded so menacing all of a sudden. I didn't like it at all.

I heard my mom in the background. "Just give it to me, Jasper!" There was a muffling sound, then my mom greeted me. "What did you need to say?"

"I... I kind of have a date tomorrow," I sighed.

"No dates! No boys!" said Uncle Emmett. He was still on the other phone.

"Boys? No, none of those," said my dad. I could hear him in the background.

"Oh, that's good, Axelle. What time will he be picking you up?" said my mom. I knew she'd be okay with it.

"Bella!" said my dad in the background.

"He's picking me up at noon," I replied.

"Great! We'll be home later." She hung up. I clicked my end off.

"Axelle Hale!" yelled Uncle Emmett. I heard him stomp up the stairs.

"Yes, Unc!" I called.

He charged into the media room. "A date?! A _date_, Axelle? You're way too young to be going on dates."

"I disagree. You see, kids these days go on dates much younger. I'm talking 13, 14 years old. It's perfectly normal. You should be happy for me," I explained. I tried to talk fast, hoping he would catch everything I said.

"Axelle..." he sighed.

"You're my favorite," I said, holding out my arms. I knew he couldn't resist a hug, and once I had him in it, I could easily convince him to let me do what I wanted. I could be quite devious when I wanted to be.

He scooped me into his arms. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked, shaking his head.

"We could turn on the awesome Tim Burton movie you brought over and give it a look-see," I suggested. "Only if you give me permission to go on my date, of course," I amended. He was just like another parent when it came to things like getting permission. If Uncle Emmett said no to something, it wasn't going to happen.

"Fine, go on your stupid date," he snapped. He plopped me onto the couch and popped the movie in.

I was asleep after the first half hour. It wasn't that the movie was boring, not in the slightest, I was just not very good at staying awake during movies. I fell asleep during them more often than not. I was having a dream about swing dancing when I felt Uncle Emmett nudge me awake.

"You missed the best part! They played the music and the aliens head's _blew up_!" he exclaimed. He then proceeded to go into an in-depth analysis of every single second of the movie.

When he was done, he said goodbye and left. I cooked myself a nice dinner of Lucky Charms, my favorite, and went to bed. I knew that my parents weren't going to be home until very late at night.

As soon as the head hit my pillow, I was out cold.

It seemed like seconds later when I heard my mom yell up the stairs. "Axelle, it's thirty minutes till noon!"

I shot out of bed. It was a good thing I could get ready in twenty minutes. Once I was out of the shower, I decided to forgo the makeup. I didn't want to seem like I was trying too hard.

I couldn't decide what I wanted to wear. I had laid out several outfits before deciding on a pair of jeans and a simple red tank-top. I slipped my sweatshirt on.

After I threw on my converse, I frolicked down to the kitchen to wait for Jack. My parents were lounging on the couch. They were watching some movie in French. I knew that both of them knew many languages, I thought it was hep.

"Are you going to meet Jack?" I asked.

"Jasper, don't you and I have to be at the other house for... for Esme's little get together?" asked my mom.

My dad perked up. "Yes, I do remember that now. Sorry, Axelle, we have to go."

"Now," finished my mom. She whispered something into his ear. I thought I could pick out the words "no spying", but I wasn't sure. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room.

I shrugged. They were always ducking out of things. I'd never seen them in any company besides family. It was just another thing that made me want to find out what they were hiding.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. I jumped up to get it.

Jack was standing on the porch. He was wearing a gray t-shirt and some jeans. "Hey," he smiled.

"Hi," I replied.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Mmhm." I pulled to door closed behind me. It brought me a step closer to him, and I had to remind myself to breathe.

In an action that felt so natural, he took my hand. He towed me to his car. It was black, and it looked a lot nicer than mine did.

"My step-dad is loaded. He got it for me... I guess he was trying to suck up or something. I didn't want to tell him I didn't want it, I thought it'd be rude," he explained. It was like he knew what I was thinking. He opened the passenger door for me and I climbed in.

"Where are we going?" I asked when he got into the driver's seat.

He smirked. "It's a secret."

"That's hardly fair," I said.

He started the car and started to drive down the lane.

"I know. I'm a terrible person," he said.

"Sarcasm noted, Sir," I laughed.

He grinned and changed the subject. "Where were your parents?"

"Oh, they always seem to be running around doing stuff. They act just like crazy teenagers sometimes, it's pretty weird."

"I really want to meet them. They sound so cool!"

"Yeah, they are really amazing," I replied.

He looked at me, and I started to feel a little self-conscious. It was quiet for a few minutes before he asked, "You are close to your family, aren't you?"

"They are my best friends," I murmured. "Once, my Uncle Emmett and I spent a whole day making the _best_ pillow fort ever. Oh, and once I dressed him up like a girl."

Jack laughed. "I really want to meet them," he repeated.

"You'd love them, I know it," I replied.

Jack pulled to a stop on the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"We're here," he answered. I looked out the window. I could make out a faint trail.

Jack got out and opened my door for me. He grabbed a backpack out of the trunk, sling it over his shoulder, and grabbed my hand.

"Hiking?" I asked. I was okay with hiking. I would go with my uncle sometimes. I always liked how It felt like you were so far away from the world, so secluded.

"It's only a short one." He led me down the path. The air smelled slightly salty, like seawater. He held aside the occasional stray branch for me, and we emerged through the greenery about ten minutes later.

The entire horizon was ocean. It lapped at the beach and roared soothingly. There was no sand on the waterfront, just small rocks. There were driftwood trees strewn about the beach, bleached snow white by the salt in the water.

"What is this place?" I gasped.

"It's First Beach. People stopped coming here awhile ago. There were some rumors of wolves around these parts, so nobody wanted to risk it. The path was sort of forgotten. I found it a few months back. I love it here," he explained.

"I understand why," I replied.

He took me to one of the driftwood trees and sat down. He unzipped the backpack and pulled out two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"My favorite," I grinned. He pulled out a coke and handed it to me.

"What do you want to be when you're older?" he asked.

"I think I want to be a writer. I love how well some people can convey thoughts and emotions, make you feel what the character feels, and I really want to be able to do that for others," I answered.

He nodded. "I know what you mean."

"What do you want to be?"

"I honestly have no idea. I know I want to travel. I definitely know I want to get out of Washington," he replied.

"Why is that?" I loved Washington, so I had no idea why anyone would want to leave.

"There is _so much _more out there, you know? I want to be able to wake up in the morning, look out my window, and see something more than trees... more than rain." He looked out over the ocean.

"That makes sense," I said.

He looked at me, almost scrutinized me. "I don't know what it is about you... you have this presence, this attitude, I can't stay away from you. You're funny, smart, caring, beautiful. I think I'm addicted," he laughed.

"Well, I can hardly blame you. I am, after all, one big hunk of sexy. People all over the Olympic Peninsula can wait to get a piece of thi- " While I was talking, Jack leaned forward. He captured my lips with his, cutting off my sentence.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. He was so warm. His arms found their way around my waist. He pulled me closer, our chests touched. My hands tangled in his hair. He shifted me on his lap so both of my legs were hanging off one side. I had to pull away for breath. I put my head against his shoulder and listened to his heartbeat.

"Finally," he sighed.

I couldn't agree with that statement more.

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**Review, you'll get to bathe in strawberry lemonade.**


	7. Chapter 7

**:) This is a good one.**

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A few hours (and kisses) later, Jack and I made our way back to his car. We had talked about virtually everything on the planet. He tossed the backpack in the trunk and hopped in.

"What did you think?" asked Jack as he started the car.

"That was _so_ amazing. I am really glad that you took me there. It's so beautiful and secluded. I can't believe people don't go there more often." First Beach had made quite the impression on me. It had become one of my favorite places almost instantly.

"I'm glad you like it," he beamed. He took my hand.

"When can we go again?" I asked.

"We can go whenever you want to. Just say the word," he smiled.

"Yay!" I giggled. I was that happiest I had been in quite some time.

When we got to my house, Jack got out and walked me to the door. The sun was setting. It looked strange from behind the clouds. We stood on the porch. He grabbed my hands.

"I had a really nice time today," I said. It was hard not to laugh at such a cliché saying.

"Me too. I'm glad you agreed to come. At first, I didn't know if you were going to say yes," he admitted.

"Oh, why?"

"I figured you didn't date. That's the only reason I could think of for why an amazing person like you didn't have a boyfriend yet." He smiled, it made me heart flutter.

We kissed goodbye, and I could have sworn I floated inside. It was the best weekend in the history of weekends.

My mom and dad were sitting on the couch. My mom was trying to calm my dad down. He looked very upset. My heart started to beat into overdrive. Something big was going to happen, I knew it. I wasn't looking forward to it.

"Axelle, can you sit down please?" asked my mom. I sat in the chair across from the couch.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

My dad took a deep breath and spoke. "You know we love you, right? You know that we would do anything to keep you safe, right?"

"Yes," I replied. My voice shook. I didn't know what they were getting at.

"You have noticed that we are not... normal. We know that," said my mom. _Now_, I knew what they were getting at.

I pulled my legs up and hugged them, resting my chin on my knees. "The rest of the family is not normal either, are they?"

"No, they are not," said my dad, finally getting himself under control.

"Well, if you're not normal, what are you?" I'd always known they were _strange_, but I didn't think that was what they were talking about.

My mom took a deep breath and said, "vampires."

My heart stopped. "Please tell me you are joking," I whispered. My voice was so close to breaking.

"I'm sorry, but we're not," replied my mom, shaking her head. It was insane, impossible. Vampires didn't exist. On the other hand, there was something definitely... not human about my family.

I stood up. "I need to go." I needed air. My parents could _eat_ me if they wanted to, and I had been totally oblivious for almost eighteen years.

My dad started to get up, but my mom stopped him. "we're here for your questions," she murmured.

I nodded, and almost sprinted out the door. I needed to cry, something I never, _ever_ did. The rain was pouring down, drenching me in only a second. I flung open my car door, got in, and screeched away from the house. My hands were shaking so badly a few minutes later, I had to pull over.

My parents had lied to me for my entire life. They killed people, and had acted like everything was normal. My uncle, my best friend, had betrayed me. A torrent of tears ran down my face. I felt like such an outsider. I put my head against the steering wheel and closed my eyes.

I heard a vehicle skid to a stop. Someone knocked at my window, but I didn't acknowledge them. The door opened.

"Axelle?" said a very anxious voice. It was Jack. When I didn't answer, he lifted me off of the seat, got in, and set me on his lap. He closed the door.

I buried my face into his shoulder. He stroked my hair from the top of my head to my lower back. He didn't ask any questions.

When I ran out of tears, I pulled my head away from his shoulder. He took my face in his hands.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," I breathed.

"Would you like me to drive you home?" He sounded worried, but very in control.

"No!" I exclaimed. I was surprised at the firm edge in my voice.

"Oh," he murmured, obviously understanding why I was so distraught. If I didn't want to go home, there must be something wrong in the family. He knew how close I was to them, and he knew what kind of event would have to happen for me to stay away from my house.

I felt a buzzing in my pocket. It was my cell phone.

"Hello?" I croaked.

"Axy, can I talk to you?" It was Uncle Emmett.

"You've had years to talk to me. Quite frankly, I'm not really in the mood to talk to you right now," I snarled. I was never mean to Uncle Emmett, it was a first for me.

"I understand. I'm guessing you don't want to go home tonight. Either of your homes..." He sounded so hurt.

"You'd be guessing right," I answered curtly.

"Do you have a place to go?" he asked.

I leaned into Jack, resting my head against his chest.

"Yes, I do have a place." I snapped the phone shut and heaved a massive sigh.

"Need a place to crash for the night?" asked Jack.

"That would be lovely," I whispered. I was so tired. Anger and fighting always took it out of me.

"I'll call the step-dad and have him bring home my bike."

I climbed off of his lap and into the passenger seat. One short phone call later, Jack was driving me to his house.

"Are you sure I'm not a burden? You don't have to take me in if it's too much trouble," I said. I didn't want to be rude.

"Don't be crazy. Of course you can stay at my house. I don't mind," he smiled. He took my hand and kissed it.

I heard the growl of Jack's motorcycle and was surprised. Jack's step-dad was fast.

When he pulled into the driveway, he switched off the car and leaned in to give me a kiss. Moments later, a man was holding the door open. I pulled away from Jack, and the man helped me out of the car.

"Hi, I'm Jack's step-dad. You can call me Jake," he said. Jack was right. Jake didn't look more than twenty-five.

"I'm Axelle," I replied.

I heard him gasp quietly, but I chose to ignore it. Jack came around the car and took my arm. He led me into his house. Jake followed.

The front door opened onto a living room and kitchen. Both rooms were furnished expensively.

"My bedroom is down the hall. You can sleep in my bed, I'll sleep on the couch," said Jack.

"Oh, I'll sleep on the couch. I like couches," I insisted. I didn't want to kick him out of his own bed. It was nice enough that he was letting me stay over.

"Alright. Wait here, I'll go get you some clothes to sleep in and some blankets," Jack said. He hurried down the hall. I took a seat on one of the couches.

I heard Jake in the kitchen, talking on the phone. He sounded nervous.

"Bella, your daughter is spending the night on my couch," said Jake.

He paused for her response. "Oh, that makes sense! I'll keep her here safely until she decides to go home." Another pause. "I know that. I'll look after him too. No night romps around the sheets, I'll make sure!"

Jake knew my mom, knew my family. There was more to him that it seemed on the outside. Nobody knew my family. I was going to get to the bottom of it, that much I knew.

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**Review, every staircase you go down will turn into a slide.**

**That's always a good thing in my book.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ahh! I'm sorry it took so long! I suck.**

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I awoke the next morning confused. I had expected to wake up in my pitch black room, in my comfy bed, but I found I was on a couch instead. I stretched, then snuggled into the blankets. I knew where I was. I was at Jack's house. I snuggled deeper into the blankets, relishing the comfort. The sun was just starting to rise. I had at least two more hours of sleep in me.

The night before, Jack lent me a t-shirt and a pair of sweats to sleep in. They were exponentially too long for me. I drowned in them. He told me I looked beautiful in them no matter how big they were.

As I was just falling back to sleep, I heard someone yawn. It was a woman. She started to rustle around in the kitchen. I didn't want her to be awake all by herself, so I got up. The lady was facing the counter. Her long black hair cascaded down her back.

She turned around. "Good morning," she smiled. She was shockingly beautiful. "You must be Axelle. I'm Julie, Jack's mom." Her voice had a certain smooth quality. It was very soothing. I could see where Jack got his killer looks from.

"Morning," I replied.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

I hadn't eaten since I'd gone to First Beach with Jack, so I was starving. "Yes, actually," I answered.

Soon enough, she whipped up a batch of pancakes. I had just cut into my first one when Jack stumbled out of the hallway. He was just wearing flannel jammie pants, and he looked like he was still half asleep.

"Those pancakes smell so good right now," he yawned.

It took me a second to respond. I was much too busy looking at his perfectly sculpted torso to think at a very fast pace.

"They sure taste good!" I said once I gained my rational thought again.  
He took a seat at the table and piled a stack of pancakes onto his plate. His mom took a seat and helped herself to some of her fantastic cooking.

"How is school, Axelle?" she asked.

"It's okay. Everything got a whole lot more exciting a few days ago, though," I smiled.

Jack laughed. "I am pretty exciting, if I say so myself," he boasted. He flexed, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. He was still shirtless... and still very, very attractive.

"You got that from me," said his mom in a mock- arrogant voice, crossing her arms and examining her nails.

We were interrupted by a huge yawn.

"Morning, Babe!" called Julie.

"Hey, hot stuff," replied Jacob.

Jack shuddered. "Eww... old people flirting."

"Tell me about it," I whispered back.

"Hey, I'm not that old," said Julie.

"I don't think you're old," said Jake. He grabbed a plate and filled it with even more pancakes than Jack did. It was a wonder that neither of them weighed a million pounds.

"So, I figured we could drive to Port Angeles today. They have a new restaurant. Well, old restaurant. It was closed for a whole bunch of years, but they just reopened it," suggested Jack between mouthfuls.

"That sounds like a great idea. I think... I think I might stop by my uncle's house before we go, though," I said, swirling the syrup around my plate with my fork. I needed to talk to someone, just to get some things off of my chest. I knew that Jack wouldn't ask any questions. "They have clothes for me over there, too." New clothes would be nice, not that I wasn't enjoying Jack's. They smelled fantastic.

"Alright. Do what you have to do," smiled Jack. "And thank you, Mother, for such a wonderful breakfast. Beats toaster waffles by a mile!"

"I feed you more than toaster waffles!" exclaimed Julie.

"Oh, toaster french toast, too," amended Jack.

A few minutes later, I was dressed in my clothes from yesterday and Jack was driving me to the family house.

"You might not get what I'm talking to my uncle about," I said. I honestly didn't know how I was going to broach the subject with Jack standing right there.

Jack nodded. "You don't have to explain. You can tell me whenever you want to, if at all. There are some things that need to be kept private, I understand," he said. He grabbed my hand.

"Turn here," I whispered. I was getting increasingly nervous as the trees flew by. Jack frowned, but kept his mouth shut. He pulled to a stop in front of the house.

I took a deep breath. "My uncle looks young, my aunt looks young, my entire family looks very... youthful," I explained.

"Okay," he said. He got out and opened my door for me.

"My uncle probably will not enjoy you, but it's only because we're seeing each other, just a warning," I said. I didn't want him to be caught off guard.

"It's not problem. I'll be fine," he assured me.

I sighed and opened the front door.

"It's me!" I called.

Uncle Emmett appeared at the top of the stairs. "Hi, Axy," he sighed. He sounded so childlike, I missed him. I was only physically away from him for a few hours, but it was the emotional parting that left me sad. I never had a spat with my uncle.

"Hi, Unc," I replied quietly.

He came down the stairs, eying Jack. When he got to me, he stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Uncle Emmett, this is Jack. Jack, this is Uncle Emmett," I said, gesturing to each of them.

My uncle extended his hand, Jack shook it. "Nice to meet you," said Jack, smiling politely.

Uncle Emmett grunted a greeting. I rolled my eyes.

Rosalie came out of the kitchen, a car magazine in hand. I introduced her to Jack, she was even less polite than Emmett was. It was then that I heard honking outside. A minute later, Uncle Edward opened the door. He looked livid.

"Axelle, a word?" he asked. I was shocked. If anything, I was the one who should be livid, not him.

"Unc, show Jack your movie collection. I want him in once piece when I return," I warned. He nodded.

Edward took me into his old room. My mom, dad, and Grandpa Carlisle were sitting there.

"Sit," said my dad.

I took a seat on the ground. The rest of them were seated on the couch.  
"You ran out before you gave us a chance to explain. Perhaps if you would have stayed a little longer, you would have learned what we really are all about," said my dad, controlling his tone. He was angry. The entire couch full of people was angry.

"Perhaps you could have told me you were bloodsucking fiends, eh?" I asked.

"We don't kill people, Axelle," said my mom. It was one of the few times that I'd ever heard her sharp with me.

"What do you do then?" I asked. Vampires drank blood, it's just what they did. You couldn't say you were a vampire and then not eat people. It just didn't work.

"We hunt animals," answered Carlisle.

"Why didn't you tell me? You have lied to me for years. Years! I thought family shared everything with each other. I think I was definitely mature enough to know before now." I was trying hard to keep my composure.

"We didn't tell you because finding out your family is full of mythical creatures takes a little more than just maturity to handle," said Uncle Edward.

I sighed. "Look, I won't be mad, just please explain everything to me, okay? When I get home, promise you'll explain," I said.

"When you get home?" asked my dad.

"Yeah... I kind of have a bit of a date today," I explained.

"Oh, with that Jack," snarled my dad.

"Hey, you don't even know him!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, okay. Have fun on your date," sighed my dad. He was done talking to me, I could tell.

I got up and left the room, my brain reeling. My parents were vampires, and I had actually accepted it. If I thought I was weird before, it was nothing to what I thought now. Sure, I didn't listen to the same music, wear the same clothes, or flaunt my goods out for everyone to see like the other kids did, but they fact that my parents weren't even human made me feel all the more alienated.

I changed into a new pair of clothes and rescued Jack from my uncle. I was determined to make this day a good one, no matter what happened.

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**Review, pancakes won't make you fat.**

**Yay for betas!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hope you enjoy, loverly people!**

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The restaurant Jack and I ate at was called La Bella Italia. The food was wonderful, to say the least. Jack told me that it was here about sixty years ago, but closed because the owner needed a break. Turned out that break lasted through his son's generation, too. His grandson finally reopened it, much to the community's happiness. It had a great atmosphere, very romantic.

When we were done and on the way home, Jack looked... unwell. I noticed it towards the end of the meal, but he started looking even worse in the car.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he said. His voice sounded strained.

"Let me drive," I offered.

He looked at me and shook his head. "It's nothing, I feel totally okay." He smiled and grabbed my hand. He kissed my knuckles.

I frowned, but accepted his statement. I didn't want him to be sick, not under any costs.

When he pulled up to my house, he leaned towards me. I placed my lips on his, expecting one of our usual goodbye kisses. The one I received was much different.

He cupped my face with one hand, the other found its way to the base of my neck. He crushed my face to his. Responding automatically, I climbed over the center console, planting myself on his lap. I wanted to be as close to him as possible. I ran my tongue along his bottom lip. He opened his mouth slightly, and I took the invitation. His hands slid down my back, stopping at my waist. My fingers tangled in his hair, securing his face to mine. I bit his bottom lip playfully. He growled and captured my lips again. The kisses slowed, going from feverish, to long and lingering. More sensual.

When we stopped, both of us were breathing hard.

"I'll miss you, Axelle," he sighed.

I smiled. "You too."

I got out of the car through the driver's door and prayed my parents didn't see what happened. It would be just like them to watch, though. They were spies, the both of them.

"I'm home!" I called, opening the front door.

"Come here, love," replied my dad from the couch. My mom was seated next to him.

I sat in between them.

"How can you go out in the daytime?" I asked. I knew they wanted me to ask questions, so I didn't beat around the bush. I launched right into it.

I was still breathing a little to hard to be considered normal. I hoped they didn't notice.

"The sun doesn't hurt us at all," said my mom.

"We sparkle," grinned my dad.

I laughed. "You _sparkle?_"

"Yep, we'll show you," said my mom.

I was glad we could discuss as lightheartedly as we were.

"Where are your coffins? I thought I knew every nook and cranny of this house, but there must have been some place I missed."

"We don't have coffins! We don't even sleep," my mom laughed. "I forgot what people thought about us. They're giving us quite the bad rep, don't you think, Babe?"

"Sleeping in coffins, burning in the sun, next she'll be asking about why we buy her garlic bread when we _obviously_ would die if we even got near it," said my dad dramatically. He threw his hand across his face.

"Hey, I just want to know, no need to be such an ass," I laughed.

"Any other questions?" asked my mom.

I paused, thinking. There was one... "How did you... how did you guys get me? I can't really remember. The details are fuzzy."

My parents frowned. My dad spoke. "Axelle, the majority of vampires are not... are not like us. They are like the horror stories. When we found you, you were about to be... killed." He choked out the last word. "We saved you and raised you like our own. We love you, Axelle."

My mouth fell open. I was almost killed by one of them... by a vampire. They were trying to convince me that they were safe when I was almost killed by one?

"I think I'm going to go upstairs," I said. I needed to be away from vampires for awhile.

When I got to my room, I decided I was going to call Jack. He was good at getting my mind off of things that I didn't want to think about. He didn't look very well at all when we left each other, either. I wanted to make sure he was okay. If Jack was sick, I'd do whatever I had to do to make him better. The phone rang multiple times before someone answered it.

"Hello?" asked Julie. She sounded worried, unbelievably so.

My stomach dropped. "Is Jack there?"

"He's not feeling very good at the moment. I'm sorry, Axelle," she sighed. She sounded much more sorry than she had to be. He was sick, there was nothing she could do about it.

"Oh, it's no problem. Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

"No, no! We don't want you to... catch what he has." She spoke quickly, she was rushed..

"Alright. Well, call me when he's feeling the slightest bit better."

"Will do," she said before hanging up.

I stared at the phone in my hand. Jack was sick. Too sick to get to the phone! I couldn't go see him, couldn't try to comfort him. I slunk back downstairs.

"Jack's sick?" asked my dad. Stupid vampires and their super hearing. He was reading a book while my mom stood behind the couch and rubbed his neck.

"Yes. He can't even get to the phone. I hope he gets better soon. I don't want him to be sick."

My parents exchanged glances. They thought I didn't notice.

"What?" I asked.

"Axelle, shouldn't you be getting to bed? You have school tomorrow," said my mom, changing the subject.

I couldn't argue with her there. I usually went to bed really late, and it was only nine at the moment. I had a big weekend though, and the rest would be good. I said night to them and went upstairs. It was hours before I could actually fall asleep. I was so worried about Jack.

I was having a dream about zombie vampires when my alarm jolted me awake. I shuffled into the bathroom and got ready for school. In the car, I hoped I would see Jack's motorcycle in the parking lot. I knew it was silly of me, he wouldn't be well enough to leave the house.

I walked to my first class alone. It felt strange not to have Jack beside me. I plopped into my seat with a sigh.

"I don't blame him," said Aubrie from the seat behind me. She was talking to me. "I would be sick if I had to spend a weekend with you, too." She giggled her infuriatingly sweet giggle. I wanted to knock the giggle right out of her.

I turned around. "Actually, Aubrie, he's just resting. We had such a _wild_ weekend, I would expect him to have to rest for a day or two. That man can kiss, just throwing it out there. Have you _seen_ those muscles?" I gushed. Her mouth popped open.

I grinned, despite the Jack situation. I loved shocking people, it was one of the things I did best.

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**Review, it'll rain Dr. Pepper.**

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	10. Chapter 10

After four days, I was fairly certain I was going to explode. Aubrie had been insufferable. Usually I would have ignored her, but her remarks were starting to get to me. I started to believe some of the things she was saying. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew they weren't true, but I started asking myself if I really was ugly, if I really was a loser. I needed to see Jack. Thank goodness it was Friday.

I decided to forgo a phone call to him when I got home from school. His mom would probably just say he was sleeping, maybe too sick to talk. I'd heard it all from her. I skipped through the front door to drop my stuff off before going to see Jack.

"What are you doing, Axelle?" asked my mom as I came through the door. She was typing quickly on the keyboard of her laptop. My dad was nowhere to be found.

"I'm going to go see Jack," I answered.

Her eyes widened. The clacking of the keys stopped. "You... you can't do that. You might get sick. We don't need you getting sick!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Now how about we go shopping?" She stood up from her chair.

My eyes narrowed. "I hate shopping. You know that."

She sighed, but didn't say anything else. There was something wrong.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't want you getting hurt," she said. She put her hands on her hips.

"What are you saying? I'm fairly certain that I'm old enough to not let things people say hurt my feelings," I laughed.

"I wasn't talking about your feelings," she murmured.

"I can take care of myself," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Just... if things go... badly, listen to Jacob, okay? Don't tell your dad I told you that. But really, listen to Jake, he knows what to do if there's trouble," insisted my mom. I still didn't know how they knew each other. I'd have to remember to ask her sometime.

I nodded. She seemed upset, but I was still going to go see Jack anyway. I dropped my books in the corner and turned right back out the door. I saw my mom pick up the phone right before I left.

As I sped towards Jack's house, I wondered what my mom meant by "hurt". There was nothing to be afraid of at his house. It seemed like a pretty healthy little environment when I was there. The rain splattered harder on the window the closer I got. I could hardly see by the time I pulled into his driveway.

Jake was on the porch before I could get out of the car. I pulled up the hood of my raincoat and ran to meet him. He opened the front door for me.

"Hi, Axelle," he said. He held out his hand for my jacket.

I took it off, but was a little uneasy. There was something different about the house since the last time I'd been. The atmosphere was different... it was more tense.

"Hey, Jake. I came to see Jack." I had to try not to smile. Jack, Jake, Julie, so many J names!

"Yeah, I figured." He hesitated. "Axelle... maybe you should sit down. I just talked to your mom. She thinks there are some things that I need to tell you. She didn't feel comfortable telling you because she thought it was my story to tell you, not hers."

I shrugged and took a seat on the couch. He sat on the chair at the end of it.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Your parents are vampires," he said.

He knew! I had no idea how, but he did. I stayed silent.

"It's okay. I've known your parents for years... almost seventy-five, actually. We are not exactly on... on the best terms, but we talk to each other if we need to."

"Why?" was all I could ask. Jake was young. Much younger than my parents, I knew that much.

He paused again. "Well... werewolves and vampires never really get along too well," he answered.

My mouth whooshed open. "Werewolves?" I breathed.

He nodded. "But you don't have to be afraid. We're just as friendly as your little bloodsuck-" He caught himself. "Your vampires."

"I don't get what that has to do with Jack," I said.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Well, he's one too."

"What? He's not related to you, though!" I exclaimed.

"Well, he is a part of the Quileute tribe. When your vampires moved back, the gene in the Quileute boys resurfaced. It was about eleven years ago that the Cullens moved back, so I'm guessing that the gene is just now starting to show up again."

I shook my head. Jack was a werewolf... werewolves are enemies of vampires. I was dating the enemy of my family. "Can I see him?" I asked.

Jake pursed his lips. "Well, Axelle... the thing about vampires is they don't smell too good to werewolves. The smell is too sweet, it burns our nose. Since you've been living with vampires almost your entire life... well, you smell the same as they do."

I laughed, trying not to let the hint of hysteria show. Nobody I talked to was human. I'd bet that Aubrie was a demon. Mr. Carlson was probably a dragon.

"He's not very stable," continued Jacob, ignoring my outburst. "He has... quite the temper lately."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Werewolves don't change when the full moon rolls about, contrary to popular belief. When we get angry, we phase into our werewolf form. Until you're able to control yourself, it's almost impossible not to phase," he explained.

"Why would he be angry if I went to see him?"

"Well, your entire family is made up of vampires."

"You told him?" I asked incredulously.

"I had no choice! When we're in werewolf form we can read each other's mind. There are no secrets."

"My Uncle Edward can do that," I said.

"I know," he replied, frowning. "It irritated the shit out of me when I was younger."

"How do you even know my parents?" I asked.

"Well... I kind of was totally in love with Bella," he admitted.

"You loved my mom!?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah. She also used to be with Edward, not Jasper. He and I fought over her like there was no tomorrow. Quite frankly, I'm surprised that one of us isn't dead."

That creeped me out. Uncle Edward could have been my dad, and my dad would have been my uncle...

I frowned. I thought he had said that werewolves weren't dangerous. "Can I please just go see Jack?" I asked, putting on my begging face. It melted the hearts of even the strongest willed people.

He sighed. "Don't be pissed if I have to get you out of that room within three seconds of you entering. If I see him shudder ever so slightly, I'll be getting you out of this house ASAP, okay?"

I smiled. "Okay."

He led me down the hall to Jack's room. His door was closed. I could hear him talking to his mom. Jake pushed the door open slightly. I tensed, prepared for the worst

"Jack?" he asked.

"What?" replied Jack sharply. I'd never heard him use that tone before.

"You have a visitor," answered Jake. He pushed the door open the rest of the way.

I stepped into the room. Jack's room was about the same size as mine was. The bed was in the corner of the room. In typical guy fashion, there were clothes strewn about. I tried to ignore the pair of shredded jeans in the corner.

Jack was lying on his bed. He was shirtless, much to my delight. It was hard not to be happy just to have seen him. I had missed him quite a bit. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts. It looked like he had grown a foot since I saw him last. His feet hung off the edge of the bed.

"Axelle!" gasped Jack. It was far from the negative reaction I was expecting. A smile started to creep slowly across his face. He couldn't take his eyes off of me.

"Shit," murmured Jake from behind me.

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Review, you'll smell like sunshine dust


	11. Chapter 11

Jack ignored Jake's comment. He sat up and held out his arms. "Run," he said, laughing. His mom moved out of the way.

I sprinted across the room and jumped into his arms. He didn't even lose his breath when he caught me. Our laughs echoed off the walls.

"Miss me?" I asked.

He squeezed me closer to him. "More than anything," he whispered.

Jake started pulling Julie out of the room. She looked confused, but Jake's expression kept her from protesting. They left the room, closing the door behind them.

I sat on Jack's lap, silent, for what seemed like an eternity. It was comfortable, like I fit perfectly in his embrace. He rested his cheek against the top of my head. It was hot, like he had a fever. I assumed that was another werewolf thing, just like my family was always cold.

"Axelle?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Jacob told you what I was, right?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"Why are you still here, then?" I heard his heart begin to beat faster. He was nervous.

"I just can't seem to get away from you," I said, smiling.

"I'm not going to let you get away from me," he murmured into my hair.

"Even with my parents?" I asked. His hand began to tremble. "Calm down, Jack," I said. His hand was still shaking, and from what Jacob had said, that was a bad sign. Jake said he would get me out of the room as fast as he could if that happened. I did all I could think of doing at the moment and pressed my lips to his.

He laid back and cupped my face in his hands. I ran my hands down his chiseled chest. It was hot, fire against my fingers. His hands ran down my back and came to rest on my hips. I pressed myself closer to him, as close as I could get. He flipped me over so he was on top. He was so much bigger than me, but he moved carefully, never putting his weight on me. He moved from my lips to my chin, all the way down to my neck. He bit me, leaving a mark. I gasped and hastily brought his face back to mine. His hands made their way underneath me, under my shirt. His warm hands traced the lines on my back. I shivered and wrapped my legs around his waist. I trailed my hands down his torso and was stopped by the waistband of his shorts. I was just about to pull them down when we heard a noise.

The door to his room opened. Jack was on top of me, my legs were wrapped around him... on his bed, lying down, with my hand about ready to pull down his pants. Lovely.

Jack and I looked to the door. Both of us were breathing heavily.

"Oops," I squeaked, trying not to laugh.

Jacob stood at the door, arms crossed.

"Told you so!" Jake called over his shoulder. "The minute I saw you I wanted to do the exact same thing!"

"It's because I'm hot and you know it," Julie yelled from down the hall.

Jack laughed, but turned his attention back to Jack. "What happened when you saw Axelle?"

Jack rolled from his position on top of me to a more parent-friendly one next to me. He took my hand. We were both still breathing hard.

"Well..." He started to blush. It was the first time I'd ever seen him get embarrassed. "I didn't care about anything else. I didn't care about the stupid werewolf thing or that her parents are vampires, I only cared about her. Nothing else mattered." He looked at me. "Nothing else will ever matter." He kissed my hand.

Julie appeared at the door while he was speaking. She had her hand over her heart and was smiling sweetly. "My baby is _so_ romantic!" She turned to Jake. "How come you never said anything like that?" She slapped him on the arm.

"Sorry, doll," he said, grinning sheepishly. He looked at Jack and I. "It's time for you guys to leave." His eyes flashed back to Julie. "Now."

Jack and I didn't hesitate. Once he had jeans and a t-shirt on, we were out of there.

"Eww," said Jack as soon as the front door closed. We knew what his parents were up to. Eww seemed like the perfect word to describe it.

He took my hand and we ran to the car. It was still pouring outside, and we were soaked through by the time we got in.

"I can't believe they didn't get mad at us! If my parents caught us like that they would have eaten me alive!" I exclaimed.

He gave me a look. It was a look that screamed, "I wouldn't be surprised if they _did_."

"Stop that. If this is going to work you're going to have to accept the whole family," I sighed.

He started the car. "It's going to work no matter what," he said nonchalantly.

"Why is that?" I challenged. I was fairly certain that a relationship only worked if both people were committed to it.

"Because I imprinted on you." We were speeding down the road. I had no idea where we were going.

"What is 'imprinted'?

"_Imprinting_ is what happens to werewolves when they find their soul mate, for lack of a stronger term. You and I are meant to be, Axelle. Try and fight it, I dare you."

I sighed. "I don't want to fight it. You know I can't resist you," I said, smiling wickedly.

"I am pretty sexy, aren't I?" he said, flexing. I didn't know what Jake was talking about when he said Jack had a temper. Jack seemed perfectly at ease.

"You have _no_ idea how sexy you are," I laughed. "Where are we going?"

"Your family's house," he answered.

"Is that a good idea?" I asked. My heart rate accelerated.

"I can control myself," he answered curtly.

"I don't want you getting hurt! There are so many of them," I said, trying to persuade him to turn around.

"It's fine. Jake talked it over with your mom yesterday. She says she'll keep the family calm. There's nothing to worry about, I promise."

"Did you know that Jake wanted my mom way back when?" I asked, momentarily sidetracked. It was so strange.

"Yeah! I heard about that. It creeped me out a little, to be honest. I mean, we'd almost be related after he imprinted on my mom... he would have left her for my mom, I think. We would have been... step siblings!" He shuddered. I was just glad Jake couldn't hook my mom.

When he pulled onto the drive that led to the house, I had tried nearly every way to lure him away from seeing my family. I didn't know what made him want to go there in the first place! I knew my family wasn't going to be very civil, no matter how much I liked him. He stopped the car in front of the house and we got out. It was going to be one hell of a visit.

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**Review, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly will do a little dance for you... in sailor suits.**


	12. Chapter 12

**You are going to hate me.**

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I took a deep breath and opened the front door. I pulled Jack in by the hand. The only person in the front room was my dad. He was reading a book on the couch. He heard us come in and turned around.

"Well, hello, Axelle," he said. He got up and stood in front of me. He examined Jack's hand around mine. "I'm afraid I can't let your relationship go on."

My heart sank. "That ruins what I came here to say," muttered Jack. He was the same height as Jasper.

"Dad, that is so not fair! You don't even know Jack," I said. I couldn't even see the humor in the phrase "you don't know Jack" at that point.

"I know what Jack is, and quite frankly, I think you should drop his hand right now. You never know when he's going to turn into a dog." My dad was looking at Jack with something that could only be described as hate in his eyes.

Jack's hand quivered. "Calm down," I whispered.

"He can't even control himself," murmured Jasper.

My Uncle Edward walked into the room. It seemed like he had been visiting more often lately. "Would you like to talk to the boy alone?" he asked.

Jasper nodded.

"If you hurt him I will not ever speak to you again. I will leave Forks forever," I warned.

He sighed. "I promise not to hurt him."

Edward took my other hand, the hand Jack had not touched, and led me outside. My heart was thumping in my chest. Why did Jack want to see my family? He should have known it was a horrible, horrible idea.

Edward led me to the fringe of the forest, the very edge of their huge lawn. We sat on the ground. It was wet, but we didn't mind.

"Axelle, you need to watch yourself. I saw what you did with him at his house... You know better than that," said Edward.

"Maybe you should leave my mind to me, eh?" I retorted.

"I would if I could. He isn't one of us, Axelle. He is our enemy, for God's sake," said Edward.

"_I'm_ not one of you. I'm not one of him. It's like I'm the freak among freaks. It's not like I can undo this! He imprinted. We are meant to be," I explained.

"I saw that," he mused. He picked up some grass and played with it in his palm. "I know that pull. I know the feeling that you can't live without someone. It's happened to me twice... three times, just about. Only once have I imprinted, but I think it's different. I think I've loved three people in my lifetime." Edward laughed. "It must be different. Both Alice and I have had our little slip-ups. I had Bella, and she got together with Eleazar once." I knew Eleazar was someone from Denali. "She still thinks she's hiding it from me, but we all know that's impossible. She let it slip once while we were together. I don't hold her accountable. It's more like we're experimenting than cheating," he explained.

My mouth hung open. "What?" I asked.

"I was just trying to explain that sometimes you don't have to cave in to your admirers. Sometimes there are better people to give yourself over to." There was an emotion in his eyes that I didn't understand.

"But I want to be with Jack," I said.

"Maybe you do now, but what about later?"

"I don't exactly have a line of people waiting to take me out," I replied.

"As far as you know," he muttered.

"Pft, who else would take me out?" I leaned back on my hands, taking advantage of the momentary cease in the rain. I was happy with Jack, werewolf or not. I would be with him forever. We were soul mates!

"He isn't like us, Axelle. We are vampires. Your family is a coven of vampires, and you are dating their sworn enemy. Last I checked, that wasn't a smart move. It certainly didn't work out for your mom," he said.

"What happened there?" I asked. I was glad to change the subject away from Jack, for once.

"Well, after I got with Alice, your mom ended up getting with Jasper. Jacob didn't like that. He was so jealous, and your mom, being the kind creature that she is, tried to be friends with him. Even after she was a vampire, he still wanted her. He took advantage of that and tried to... get with her. It got to the point where he kidnapped you and your mom. Jasper was furious. He would have killed Jacob if Bella didn't save his life. Bella told Jacob to stay away from you forever. I'm assuming that Jacob's reentry into your life is not making Jasper very happy. The fact that you're dating his stepson... well, Jasper definitely isn't happy about that."

"What about my mom?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sure she's okay with it. She knows that werewolves can be trusted sometimes. She almost chose him, after all."

"Jacob tried to kidnap me..." I whispered. It wasn't a question, just a statement.

"Yes. That's why Jasper is reacting like he is."

"But... that's not Jack's fault. It's not his fault his step dad is a crazy kidnapper," I said.

"To Jasper all werewolves are the same," said Edward.

It was quiet then. Edward looked at me, the same unfathomable expression in his eyes.

"What is it?" I asked.

Before I could answer, he leaned towards me. I thought he was going to give me a hug, so I extend my arms to meet him.

At first it was a hug, but it changed rapidly. Edward took my face in one of his hands and looked me in the eyes. He moved his face to mine... pressed his lips to mine. My mind clouded. I was too confused to react. Why was Edward kissing me? I sat there and let him get it out of his system. It wasn't like I could pull away. He was superhuman, after all. It wasn't until I heard Jack's shout of fury that I realized it would look like I was cheating on Jack.. I was with Jack, not Edward, so maybe I was cheating... Not intentionally, though.

"What the hell?!" yelled Jack. He was sprinting towards us. I stood up quickly and brushed myself off. Edward stood up smoothly, acting as if nothing was wrong.

"Jack, please calm down! It was nothing, I promise!" I exclaimed. He was by my side in a second, furiously look between Edward and me.

"Yes, Jack, it was nothing," said Edward. He kept himself composed.

Before I could say another word, Jack punched Edward square in the jaw.

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	13. Chapter 13

**I can explaiiiiinnn!**

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Edward cocked an eyebrow and smirked after Jack punched him, completely unfazed. Without saying anything, Jack ran into the forest. He managed to throw his shirt off before disappearing into the trees.

I turned to face my uncle. "What the hell was that?" I asked, my voice muted. What did he think he was going to accomplish?

He was still smirking. "Did you see how he could hardly control himself? He could hurt you, Axelle. One false move and you're scarred for life."

I glared at him. "You kissed me just so I would see what he looks like when he's angry, didn't you? That's why."

"Yes," he replied, not understanding why I was so furious.

"You are one of the most evil people I know!" I screamed. "You knew Jack would change if he saw us together! You wanted me to think he was some sort of monster!" His plan was all coming clear to me now.

He frowned. "I didn't think you'd be so angry about it."

"Get away from me!" I yelled. "Now!" I clarified after he stayed put. He moseyed slowly back to the house. He took his sweet time getting to the front porch.

When I saw him close the front door behind him, I went to where Jack's shirt landed. I couldn't imagine what he was feeling. He had said, not minutes before Edward's little stunt, that we were soul mates. I couldn't comprehend how betrayed he must have felt after seeing Edward and I together. I sunk to the ground beside his shirt and put it in my lap. I wouldn't blame Jack if he didn't want to forgive me. I knew I wouldn't forgive me if I was him.

I laid down on the ground and closed my eyes. I held his shirt tightly in my hands. It was getting darker, colder. I didn't care. I didn't want to go inside the house of my stupid, evil family. I thought they loved me more than that. I thought that they would support any decision I made.

"Axelle?" asked my mom. She sounded far away. I didn't open my eyes.

"I would like it very much if you would go away, please," I said.

I heard her sigh, much closer to me than she was before. "Axelle, you can't stay out here forever."

"I wasn't planning on it. I _was_ planning to live in my car, actually. I think it'll be a little more comfortable than the front lawn. Maybe a little cramped, though."

I opened one eye. She was sitting next to me. I turned away from her, still clutching Jack's shirt close to me..

"I brought you chocolate," she said.

I frowned. A candy bar was not enough to move me from my patch of grass. I would move when I was good and ready to.

She sighed. "I'll leave it here for you. When you want to talk, I'll be inside. Edward and your dad are gone. I kicked them out of the house. They can't come back until I say so."

My heart thumped unsteadily in my chest. "You're getting divorced?" I croaked.

"Oh, no, no, no, Axelle. I just don't want them around tonight," she explained. "I'll see you inside." She got up and ran to the house.

I heaved a sigh of relief. At least I wasn't going to be the demise of my parent's marriage, that was always a plus. I had a feeling I _was_ going to be the demise of my own relationship, however. I just sat there and took his kiss. I didn't even fight Edward off or anything, I just went with the flow.

I heard someone approaching. "I don't want any chocolate!" I called.

"Damn," muttered the intruder sarcastically. It wasn't who I thought it'd be.

I opened my eyes and shot into a sitting position. "Jack?" I gasped. He was standing right in front of me. He didn't look angry, just very, very sad.

"Hey, Axelle," he sighed. He sat down.

"Look, about what happened... it's not what it looked like," I explained.

He frowned. "It didn't 'look like' that was the case."

"Why... why would you think I would do that to you," I murmured, looking into my lap. I was determined not to cry. I bit my lip.

Jack sighed again. "I don't know what to think."

A tear ran down my face, destroying my whole "I'm not going to cry" plan. Jack reached across the small space separating us and wiped it off. He kept his hand at my chin and tilted my face so I would look at him.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"What happened?" he asked. His voice sounded close to breaking. I moved his hand and scooted closer to him. I maneuvered myself onto his lap. He didn't object. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me close to him.

"Edward told me this whole story about not getting together with the first person in line for me, or something. He thought that I should hold out for someone else. He's also some sort of vampire man whore, from what I got out of his little rant," I explained. "He kissed me because he wanted me to see you phase... he wanted me to think you were a monster."

"I am a monster," he breathed into my ear.

"Just because you turn into a giant wolf when you're mad, doesn't mean you are a monster," I replied.

"You haven't seen me," he murmured.

"It doesn't matter," I said.

He laughed. "We'll see about that."

It was completely dark now, and despite Jack's warm embrace, a shiver still ran down my spine. It got cold at night in Forks.

"Do you want to go inside?" he asked.

I shook my head quickly. "Not at all."

He was quiet for a second. "Do you want to go to my house?"

I pondered that for a minute. I would love to go to Jack's house. Considering I'd already spent the night there once, I didn't think my mom would have a problem with it. I'd call her at Jack's house just in case. Besides, Jack imprinted on me. It wasn't like my family could keep us away from each other.

"Yes, I do want to go to your house," I replied. We stood up and walked to his car, which was still parked in front of the house. I was about to get in when the front door opened.

"Axelle, where are you going?" asked my mom.

"I... I don't think I can be here tonight," I answered honestly.

She understood. "Have Jacob call me when you get there," she said. She closed the door again. My mom could be incredibly amazing when she wanted to.

I frowned, remembering something about Jacob that I hadn't told Jack. I got in and closed my door. "Did you... did you know that Jacob tried to kidnap me?" I asked as Jack pulled away from the house.

Jack was silent for a moment. He was taking long, deep breaths. "Yes, I found that out after I phased for the first time. I didn't know what a crumb he was back then," said Jack.

"It was strange to hear about," I murmured.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the window. My happy little world was falling apart at the seams. My eighteenth birthday was approaching fast, only a month away. I hoped things would be better by then.

It seemed like seconds later when Jack nudged me awake. I had fallen asleep in the car. I stretched and yawned before stepping out into the bitingly cold night air. Jack walked me inside. It had gotten rather late. So much had happened since I got home from school, it was hard to believe it was the same day.

Jacob was sitting on the couch in the front room, arms crossed.

"Can you call my mom?" I asked, covering a yawn with my hand.

He nodded.

"Axelle is sleeping in my bed tonight," said Jack, not asking Jake, but telling him.

Jacob eyed him. "If I hear anything going on in there that shouldn't be, you better be expecting me," said Jake.

Jack rolled his eyes and pulled me to his room. He dug out a clean t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants for me to sleep in. I changed into them quickly, too tired to care if Jack saw me or not. I climbed into his bed and closed my eyes. Having a life full of mythical creatures was more exhausting than I thought it would be.

I heard the light snap off, and was a bit surprised to feel Jack's arms wind around my waist.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

"Mmhmm," I hummed.

"Night," he whispered. He kissed my neck.

"Goodnight," I sighed, content. Sure, my family life was falling apart, but with Jack there, everything seemed like it was going to be okay.

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**Review, the streets will turn to trampolines.**

**Mucho thanks to my beta!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Here ya are! Tons of thanks to my beta! Lots of thanks to Heather, too. Without her, a lot of this yummy drama wouldn't even happen.**

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That night, I didn't sleep as peacefully as I hoped. The dream I had, nightmare actually, disturbed me to the very core.

I was at my house, sitting on the couch in the living room. Jack was sitting beside me. My entire family walked in, all of them with livid looks on their faces. If looks could kill...

"You're out of the family," snarled Emmett. The way he said it, like I was vermin, made tears spring to my eyes at once. They loved me. Why would they talk to me like I was trash?

Jack got up off the couch and stood beside them. "We're done," he said, his tone mimicking Emmett's.

My best friend and my boyfriend had disowned me within seconds of each other.

"Why?" I whispered.

All of them, my mom and dad included, laughed in my face.

I wrenched my eyes open and gasped. My heart way pounding in my chest. I felt Jack's arm tighten around me, as if he knew I was scared, even though he was unconscious. I tried to hold back the sob that was threatening to escape. Everything I loved had left me in my sleep.

"Axelle?" mumbled Jack, his voice thick and raspy with sleep. I turned over to face him. "Are you okay?" He looked into my eyes and brushed the hair from my forehead. He left his hand cupped around my chin.

"Will you ever leave me?" I whispered.

"Do you think I'd be sleeping in the same bed with you if I didn't want to stay with you?" He laughed.

I didn't join him. I remained quiet, looking into his eyes for some sign he was lying.

"What happened?" he asked, instantly more sincere.

"I-I had a dream. You didn't want me, my family didn't want me... nobody wanted me anymore," I explained, looking away from his eyes for the first time. I felt so rejected. The dream had plunged me into something I was not expecting. I felt extremely self-conscious.

"I will always want you, Axelle," said Jack. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tight.

"You promise?" I asked. I pressed my face into his chest.

"I promise. I will always want you, no matter what happens."

"What if I lost all my limbs in some freak accident?" I asked.

"I'd still want you," he said, trying to hide a smile.

"What if I had a peg leg and talked like a pirate all the time?"

"I'd still want you... me hearty," he replied. He laughed loudly, and we heard the door open.

"Hey, none of that," said Jake. He really wasn't kidding about keeping an eye on us.

"Sorry," said Jack.

"That's what I thought," Jake snarled. I bit by lip to keep from laughing.

"Night," I whispered.

"Good night," he replied.

I sighed and fell back to sleep in his arms.

After that night, Jack and I were almost inseparable. We spent every waking moment, and sometimes the sleeping ones, together. My dad came home and apologized profusely for treating me so rudely. He promised me he would take my feelings for Jack seriously from then on. My Uncle Edward went back to Denali to face the wrath of Alice. I felt bad for him. Alice wasn't known to get angry very often, but when she did, I didn't want to be anywhere near her.

Edward called me the week after he kissed me. Jack was beside me, and he held my hand while I talked to him.

"Axelle?" he asked. He was just lucky that I agreed to talk to him. When Jack answered the phone, he almost snapped it in half.

"What?" I snapped.

"I... I just need to tell you how sorry I am. I know it won't mean anything to you, but I need to do it anyway. You have to understand, I'm not... comfortable with werewolves, really. I haven't trusted them for so long. I thought all of them acted the same way. I am truly, truly sorry. You are my family, and I hurt you more than I ever intended to. I fell horrible about what I did to you, Axelle."

I paused before answering. Edward had been a part of my life for so long. We could talk for hours about things that nobody else would be interested in. He was fun to be around, excluding his recent little stunt, and I enjoyed his company. Something inside me told me that I was being too quick to talk, but I forgave him.

"It's okay," I sighed. After all, if I were ignoring him, I couldn't go the the big house whenever I wanted. I'd have to check if he was there first.

Because Jack and I were so rarely apart, and because I spent most of _my_ time at the big house, he spent most of _his_ afternoons with Emmett and I. Emmett and Jack got along better after Emmett accepted he would be stuck with Jack as long as I was. I was surprised when they started to treat each other like friends, rather than enemies.

"I'll bet you a night with Axelle that I can beat you at Mario Kart," challenged Emmett one day after school.

"When will you ever learn? I have beaten you at every game we've played!" exclaimed Jack. Jack and I were on the couch in front of Emmett's huge TV in his room. Emmett was sitting on the ground. It was true. Jack was the only one who ever beat Emmett at anything. It just made him all the more eager to find something he was better at than Jack.

"I've been practicing," beamed Emmett.

After two out of three, four out of seven, and six out of ten, Jack admitted his defeat. I sat on the couch, bored out of my mind, for the hour their little competition took up. When they finished, it was dark outside.

"Ha!" yelled Emmett. "Axelle, you can sleep in here and we can watch movies! And then we can go prank Rosalie! Oh, I bet we could also pull one over on Carlisle, too."

Jack had his arms crossed. He was clearly pouting.

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "It's okay, Jack. I still think you're much sexier," I whispered.

Emmett looked at me, appalled. "Eww," he muttered, looking away.

I stood up and towed Jack to the front door. "Looks like I'm having a sleepover tonight," I said, grinning. I was sad, more than sad, to be away from Jack, but I missed spending time with Emmett. He was my best friend, after all.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," he sighed. I kissed him goodnight and shut the door.

"Axelle! Come _on_!" yelled Emmett from up the stairs. "I can't just wait up here while you suck face. It grosses me out!"

"Shut up!" I yelled as I ran up the stairs. He had a bed all made for me on the floor in front of the TV. He was lounging on the couch, trying to look as bored as possible.

Instead of heading for the makeshift bed, I hurled myself over the arm of the couch to land right on top of him. He was, of course, much faster than I was, and I ended up pinned underneath him.

"Can't. Breathe!" I gasped. He had his incredibly large head on my stomach. "Your fat... head!"

"Sorry," he said, grinning sheepishly. He moved to sit on the floor in front of the couch. I raked my fingers through his curly brown hair.

"Axelle?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

He hesitated, something very rare for him. He was usually talking a million miles a minute about how much better he was at everything. "You're turning eighteen next week," he murmured.

"And you're turning a zillion coming up here pretty soon, aren't you?"

He shook his head. "I'm being serious," he said.

That brought me up short. Emmett was never serious. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"You're in love with Jack," he said.

I frowned. I hadn't actually told Jack that I loved him yet. He hadn't said it to me either. "Well..." I started.

"You are, aren't you?"

I thought about that. I couldn't bear to be without him for more than a night, and even that was hard. I couldn't stand it when he had to go off and be a wolf with Jacob. It worried me sick. I got a thrill every time I heard his name. My heart would start to beat faster every time he touched me. "Yes, I am in love with him," I whispered.

Emmett nodded. "I think he... is the same," said Emmett. "What do you want for your birthday?" he asked, quickly changing the subject. It was just like him to do that.

"Nothing. Don't get me anything. I'm already spoiled enough as it is." It was true, too. I was surrounded by the super rich all the time, so I certainly wasn't short on the whole present front. It was annoying that I got so many things from them. I objected every time, but they all but shoved their gifts into my hands.

"I can't argue with you there," he laughed. "What movie do you want to watch? I figure we can do some major pranking afterwards."

"Mars Attacks," I said, grinning. I hadn't made it the whole way through the last time we tried to watch it. He put it on, but just like last time, I only lasted a few minutes.

"Wake up!" exclaimed Emmett the next morning.

I opened my eyes. "Oops," I yawned.

"At the rate you're going, you're never going to get past the burning cows part," he sighed.

I laughed and got my clothes out from my drawer in his room. Rosalie was always strangely absent whenever I spent too much time around Emmett. I had a strange feeling she loved me only because she had to. Whenever I tried to engage her in conversation, she wouldn't listen unless the first words out of my mouth were in the form of a compliment. It was just something I learned to accept.

After I was ready, I heard Jack pull up. Only, he wasn't in his car. I sprinted outside.

"Yay!" I exclaimed. He was riding his motorcycle. I very rarely ever got to ride it anymore, what with him being all concerned about my safety now, too.

He grinned my favorite Jack grin and cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, Baby. Need a lift?"

I sauntered over to him. "I've heard that these... these motorbikes are quite unsafe. Am I correct?" I asked, throwing on a British accent.

"Well, yeah... you're right," he said, shrugging.

"Great!" I exclaimed. I hopped on behind him and we raced to school.

We made it to our first class right before the bell rang. I heard a high, unpleasant voice behind us.

"I'm surprised she's not pregnant yet," stage whispered Aubrie to the unfortunate girl next to her. Jack's hand began to tremble.

That was it. I was going to tell her off, and I didn't care who heard. "You know what, Aubrie?" I asked, turning around in my seat.

"What?" she said, cocking her head to one side.

"Just because my boobs are real, doesn't mean you have to freak out. Okay, honey? Oh, and just because I don't have to cake on the makeup like a clown, doesn't mean you have to be so nasty to me. And _another _thing. Just because I got the man you wanted, doesn't mean you get to call me a whore whenever the mood strikes you." I stood up, she did too.

"Axelle," warned Jack.

"I'll say whatever the hell I want to you," she snarled.

I grinned. My hand curled into a fist. "Really?" I pulled my arm back and punched her in the face as hard as I could.

"Axelle Hale!" yelled Mr. Carlson. I shook my hand out.

"Yes, sir?" I asked sweetly. I was beyond caring what he thought of me.

"Office. Now," he barked.

I stifled a laugh at Aubrie's cries. "My nose! I just got this done over spring break! You bitch. When my dad hears about this you'll be getting a call from our lawyers! You better feel really bad about what you just did," she whined.

I bowed to the class, and made my grand exit from the room. I figured a suspension was worth the satisfaction of hitting Aubrie in the face. After all, her daddy could just get her a new nose.

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**Review, you'll get a candy covered pirate in the mail.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry it took so long to update!**

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"I'll bet I can make it to Port Angeles and back before you," said Emmett the night before my birthday. Jack and I were eating a late dinner at the big house. We could tell that Emmett was bored. He spent the whole time after school pestering Jack and me. He was quieted for awhile when Jack agreed to race him to the store, to Seattle, and to Olympia, but after those two hours, Emmett was bored out of his mind.

"Same prize, winner takes all?" asked Jack. The prize was a night with me, of course. Jack had won me twice, Emmett had won once.

Emmett nodded. "Axelle's coming with me."

Jack opened his mouth to protest, but Esme called from the living room, "Axelle's still grounded, remember?"

I sighed. I thought my family would have been proud of me after I slugged Aubrie. They made no secret of their distaste for her. The only person who wasn't angry at me was Emmett. My mom told me that I should have handled it with words. My dad told me that ladies didn't hit other ladies.

Emmett sighed along with me. "Alright, I guess we go solo. Ready, set-"

"Wait!" interrupted Jack. "I need a goodbye kiss."

"I don't know if I'm quite ready for that," said Emmett, putting his hand over his heart. "But if you insist!" He leaned forward, trying desperately to keep a straight face.

Jack ignored him and moved to my side of the table. "Bye," he said. He gave me a quick goodbye kiss, then quickly ran from the room.

"Eww," muttered Emmett before fleeing from the dining room. I sighed, crossed my arms, and settled in to wait for them. At least I had my dinner to keep me company. I knew they wouldn't be long.

After less than fifteen minutes, Emmett strolled into the room. "Hey, Axy," he said, grinning.

"How'd you cheat?" I asked.

He grabbed my hand and spun me around. "Oh, I didn't cheat. I just took the car. I told him it was a race. It was his choice to run all the way there."

"No way! Rematch!" shouted Jack, storming into the dining room.

"Rematch my ass!" laughed Emmett. "I said I could make it there before you. I did, I win, you lose," said Emmett, still twirling me around.

Jack sighed. "Fine, but she gets to stay with me tomorrow." He crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow, the signature Jack look. I'm surprised my knees didn't give out. He was so, so attractive when he was arguing.

"But it's her birthday!" exclaimed Emmett.

"And?" asked Jack.

"Fine, take her. You selfish dog," muttered Emmett.

"And proud of it," laughed Jack. Jack took me from Emmett and wrapped his arms around my waist. He put his lips at my ear. "I'll miss you," he whispered, kissing right below my ear. I shivered.

"You too," I whispered.

He left soon after that, taking his own sweet time. He loved to push Emmett's buttons, and he was quite good at it. Mere seconds after he left, Emmett was plotting my escape.

"Axy, wanna go on a picnic?" asked Emmett, whispering the words into my ear quietly enough so the rest of the family wouldn't hear. I couldn't say no. Ever since I was a little girl, Emmett took me on picnics. Only, we wouldn't go to the park, we'd go way out into the middle of the forest. He told me ghost stories that still frighten me when I think of them. It had been years since I'd been on one, and I was so excited that he remembered.

"I don't have my teddy bears!" I cried, covering my mouth with my hand. The only other people that were invited to our little picnics were my stuffed animals, and I hadn't seen them since I turned seven. I remembered thinking that stuffed animals were for squares the second I blew out my candles.

"We still have them in the attic," said Emmett, totally serious.

"I'm just kidding," I laughed. "But how am I supposed to escape?" I asked, hushing my voice.

"Axelle, I didn't know you were so tired," said Emmett, raising his voice slightly above his normal volume. He winked at me.

I yawned theatrically. "I'm beat!" I sighed.

"I guess it's time for you to go to bed," he said, frowning dramatically.

"Yep," I replied.

I didn't get to say anything else. Emmett scooped me into his arms and tore out the back door as fast as he possibly could. I buried my face in his shoulder to stifle a laugh. I had to be quiet as long as I could. There was an off chance Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie hadn't noticed we'd left the house yet, and they might hear me if I laugh.

After a few minutes of running, Emmett slowed down. We were in a large, round meadow. There were wildflowers all around the perimeter of the clearing. It was a place that Emmett and I had gone ever since I could remember. He sat me on the ground, and I saw he had a blue blanket and a bag in his hand. He spread the blue blanket on the ground and took a seat.

It was dark outside, but the moon shone through the clouds just enough to lighten the night ever so slightly. It was cold, but I would deal with it. The wind blew in lazy gusts, tickling my face. I hadn't been on a picnic with Emmett since I was a little girl, and I was going to enjoy the occasion.

I glanced at the bag he had in his hand. "I just ate," I said.

"I just brought you a few sodas," he explained. He was looking at me closely. He looked confused, sad even. I didn't understand.

"_What_?" I asked. He had been doing that a lot lately, and it was beginning to wear on me. There was something he wasn't telling me, and it wasn't doing any good for my mind. It made me feel like there was forever something stuck to my face, and I hated it.

"You're going to be an adult tomorrow," he said. His voice sounded strained, like he was trying to hold something back.

"Yes," I said skeptically.

He sighed and looked away, into the trees. "Axelle... you're going to be an _adult_. You were five when you became my best friend, and it's hard to see you grow up. I love you, you know that, and I just... I just can't comprehend the fact that you are going to be a grown-up. It was bad enough when you got boobs!" he exclaimed.

I grinned, remembering the day he realized I wasn't in a training bra anymore. He was so incredibly creeped out, he convinced me that I needed to get them chopped off right away. I spent the whole day telling my mom that I had to get the strange growths on my chest removed.

"And then, you go off and fall in love." He quieted himself. "I'm going to miss you," he whispered. His voice cracked. "And... and you do know to... to," he said, tripping over his words.

"To what?" I asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Well you're in love now, and all that jazz, and I know that things can get pretty... pretty intense when you're with Jack," said Emmett.

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you trying to give me a sex talk?" I asked, hiding a smile.

He frowned. "I just don't need a pregnant Axelle, okay? Just promise me you'll be safe. I don't care if you have it." He shuddered. "Dammit, bad mental image. Just please, don't be stupid with you're... personal life," he pleaded.

"Relax! I'm still one hundred percent virgin," I said, laughing.

"Oh, thank God," sighed Emmett. "I didn't know at first. I mean, you do stay over at his house quite a bit."

"Hey, Unc," I said, crawling across the small space between us. I sat myself in his lap and leaned my head against his shoulder. His arms wrapped around me. "I'm always going to be that little five-year-old, okay? Even when I'm eighty, I'll still come on picnics with you. If you want, we can even take my teddy bears," I whispered.

"If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise," said Emmett.

I couldn't help but say the next line. "If you go down in the woods today, you better go in disguise," I said. I wasn't quite singing, but I was certainly getting there.

"For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain because," sang Emmett, growing louder by the word.

"Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic!" sang the both of us as loud as we could. We actually echoed.

I burst out laughing, thinking what a strange sight we were. Two grown people, singing a song about teddy bears, in the pitch black, absurdly quiet night. Soon, Emmett joined in, and not much later, the both of us were clutching our sides.

I put my head back against his shoulder after the both of us quieted down.

"We are two of the heppest cats on the planet," sighed Emmett, taking the blanket from beneath us and wrapping it around me.

"Oh yeah, we're the bee's knees," I agreed, sighing.

"I wonder if bees really have knees," mused Emmett.

"And I wonder if cats really have pajamas," I replied.

"That's just crazy talk," said Emmett. "Everyone knows that cats don't have pajamas."

I laughed softly and closed my eyes. "You're silly."

I fell asleep to Emmett quietly humming teddy bears' picnic, and couldn't help but be blissfully happy that he was a part of my life. Nobody had a better best friend than I did. I didn't care what stupid, lunch box face Aubrie said, having your uncle as your best friend was the epitome of cool.

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**I'll be in California next week, but I'll try to update anyway.**

**Review, wherever you are will be that happiest place on Earth. (I almost typed on Edward haha!)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry it took so long to update. I've been on vacation. So, I was a TOTAL retard. Like... really, really stupid. Axelle was supposed be SEVENTEEN at the beginning of the story. Not sixteen. SOOO, she'd be turning EIGHTEEN! Not seventeen. **

**I went back and changed it... Feel free to ridicule me for being such an idiot.**

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Jack insisted that his time with me start right after school. Of course, Emmett was so heavily opposed to the idea when I called to tell him, he threatened to rip Jack's head off if I wasn't at the big house in ten minutes. Jack reluctantly obliged to go, and we got to the house minutes later.

When I opened the door, I gasped. It looked like a clown barfed up all its happy all over the room. The ceiling was covered in balloons, the stairs were draped in crepe paper. A cake was surrounded by presents on a table in the middle of the room. Streamers hung from wall to wall. The decorations reeked of Alice. The only remotely hep thing about it was the music blasting through the house's stereo system.

"Surprise!" yelled my family, jumping out from assorted hiding places around the room.

I frowned. Edward was among them. I felt Jack stiffen at my side, but he remained calm.

"Happy birthday, Axy!" exclaimed Emmett. He barreled towards me, scooped me up in a giant hug, and then threw me in the air.

"Stop it!" I laughed. He set me on the ground and gestured to the presents now sitting next to the cake.

"I've heard the cake is pretty good," he said.

After everyone said happy birthday to me, I got Jack and I some cake and settled in to open the presents.

Jack and I were sitting on the love seat, Emmett sat at my feet. Esme and Carlisle were next to Alice on the couch. Edward stood next to Rosalie against the wall. They both looked slightly uninvolved, but I did see Edward glance at the short distance between Jack and me a few times.

"Open mine first!" said Alice, all but bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"Righto," I said, grabbing the one that had her name on it. I opened it, and much to my surprise, I loved it. She got me a tan button up coat, a blue t-shirt, and a pair of jeans. Knowing Alice, they probably cost a lot more than it looked like they did.

"Do you like them?" she asked.

"I love them! Thanks," I replied.

Carlisle and Esme got me a set of all Roy Orbison's CDs, Emmett got me the collection of all Tim Burton's movies, my mom and dad got me the only Benny Goodman record I didn't have, and Rosalie gave me 100 dollars and told me to go to town. The only thing left on the table was a thin envelope.

I noticed Edward become a little more on edge, and Jack followed suit. I opened it and pulled out a card. Two pieces of paper fell out onto my lap, but I read the card first.

_Happy Birthday. I'm sorry_, it read. I picked up the pieces of paper and looked at them closely. They were two ticket vouchers.

"I wanted to take you on an 'I'm sorry' trip. You can choose the place. They're good for anywhere. Let me know when and where, I'll take you there," explained Edward.

"Wow. Thanks," I murmured, still looking at the ticket vouchers in my hand.

We said our goodbyes after that and fifteen minutes later, Jack and I were headed to his house. When we arrived, I noticed that his parents car wasn't there.

"Where'd they go?" I asked.

"I wanted us to be able to have dinner without them pestering us, so they went to Seattle for the weekend," he explained, leading me into his house by the hand. "Close your eyes."

I did as I was told, and he took me to a chair. He gently pushed me down. "Wait here, no peeking," he said. I wondered what he was up to. I contemplated opening my eyes, just a little bit, but I decided not to risk it. He'd probably know.

"Open," he said a few minutes later. I was seated at a table with a candle placed in the middle. A heaping plate of spaghetti was in front of me. The lights were dim and Jack was smiling broadly.

"How did you make it so fast?" I asked.

"The microwave is a wonderful thing," he laughed. He sat down. "Happy birthday." We talked about everything we possibly could think of while we ate. All throughout the dinner though, it seemed like something was bothering him. I didn't know what it could be.

When we finished, he came over to my side of the table, hauled me to my feet, and kissed me until my knees went weak. "You know what, Axelle?" he asked. He brushed a piece of my hair that had fallen out of my ponytail out of my face.

"Hmm?" I replied, unable to form words quite yet.

He put his lips to my ear. "I love you," he breathed. He started kissing my neck.

"I love you, too," I murmured. "Jack?" I asked.

"Yes?"

I pulled away from him. "What was wrong with you, you know, during dinner?"

He hesitated. "I don't... I don't know if I want you to go on that trip with Edward," said Jack.

"Oh," I said, frowning.

"It's just... I don't trust him. I can't forget the moment I walked out that door and saw you two. It haunts me," he said, not making eye contact.

"It's not like he's some maniac," I said.

"Close enough," he murmured.

"Hey, he's a part of my family," I defended.

"Even so," replied Jack.

I pushed away from him. "Don't talk about him like that."

Jack put his hands on his hips. "He kisses his own niece then tries to get on a vacation alone with her, and you don't think that is a tad creepy?"

"He's not creepy!" I yelled.

"The hell he isn't!"

"How would you know?! You've only met him a few times! You have no right to judge him. That's just like me calling your step dad a kidnapper!"

"He was in love with your mom, you can't blame him."

"I don't care! He took my mom and me from my dad, and you can just excuse him for that? What if I refused to let you go on a trip with your dad, what would you do?"

"It's not the same," said Jack.

"It's exactly the same. God, I'm so mad I could... I could hit you right now!" I screamed, throwing my hands into the air.

Jack stepped forward. He was only a few inches away from me. "Do it then. Hit me." He scowled.

At that moment, he couldn't look anymore attractive. Sure, nice Jack was sexy, but angry Jack... wow. I wrapped my arms around his neck, completely giving up the fight, and kissed him. He pushed me against the living room wall and pressed his body against mine. I used the wall to get the leverage I needed and wrapped my legs around his waist. I ripped the hair tie out of my hair and curls surrounded my face.

"You're. Still. Not. Going," breathed Jack between kisses.

I ignored what he said and pulled him closer. He started walking away from the wall, and I could tell we were headed down the hall. A moment later, Jack kicked open his bedroom door, crossed the room in a few strides, and dropped me onto his bed. He crawled on top of me. My breathing hitched up a notch. His fingers lingered at the bottom of my shirt.

I lifted my arms above my head, a signal for him to take it off. He slipped the shirt off, and ogled at me for a second before kissing me again. He kissed his way down my chin, my neck, and started down the middle of my chest.

"Jack," I gasped. He continued.

"Hmm?" he hummed, already at my stomach.

"Why are you still clothed?"

I felt him grin against my stomach. "Good question."

Fifteen minutes later, Jack and I were lying against each other, exhausted. Aside from the whole first time pain part of the sex, it was actually amazing. Jack and I moved in perfect synchronization. I think he might have broken my bra trying to take it off, but I wasn't that broken up about it.

"Have you done that before?" I breathed.

He didn't answer right away. "You have?" I asked.

"Yes. It was about a year ago. I was stupid. She was my first girlfriend, and I foolishly got into bed with her as soon as I could. I regret it so much."

"Oh," I murmured.

He took my face in his hand and tilted my head so I could see his face. "Axelle, I love you and only you. Don't be jealous, okay?" He kissed me lightly on the nose.

I smiled and put my head on his chest. I could hear his heartbeat. He stroked my hair.

"Okay. I love you too," I sighed. I fell right to sleep in his arms. That other girl didn't matter. I was who he wanted now.

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**Review, Jack wants you to.**


	17. Chapter 17

"Axelle, you're still not going," sighed Jack, setting a plate full of blueberry waffles on the table between us. He had made breakfast after we woke up. My shirt went missing after he threw is across the room the night before, so I was just sitting at the table in my bra and jeans. Jack was also shirtless. I just hoped to God that his parents didn't walk in. Talk about a lifetime of embarrassment.

"Jack, I am going. You're not going to stop me. Are you forgetting that I have an entire family of super strong vampires?" I asked. "I'm fairly certain that if I wanted to go, they'd make sure I did."

He sat down and started cutting into a waffle. He looked livid. I had to actively keep my mind on the matter at hand. It wouldn't help the argument if I stopped in the middle of it to leap across the table and have my way with him.

"Promise me you'll always have your cell phone on you, okay? Call me if anything strange happens, anything at all. I'll get there," he said, looking at his plate.

"Thank you!" I squeaked. I hopped out of my chair and went to sit on his lap. I put my forehead against his. "I'm sorry I made you upset."

He smiled. "It's okay, beautiful. You could convince me to do anything, I swear," he laughed, shaking his head. He smelled like blueberries.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. His arms reached behind my back. He was just about to unhook my bra when we heard the front door open.

"You owe me twenty bucks," said Jacob. I gasped and turned around. Julie and Jacob were in the doorway. Jacob was grinning smugly, Julie looked annoyed. She fished out a twenty from her pocket and handed it to Jake.

"Looks like you didn't mess up the house all that much," said Julie, scanning the room.

Jack laughed. "We were close," he replied.

I blushed. Jack noticed.

"You wouldn't be too broken up if we left, would you?" asked Jack.

Jake shook his head. "As long as you leave the rest of those waffles you're free to go," he said, eying the stack on the table.

Jack got up and pulled me to his room by the hand. He closed the door behind him.

"Oh my God, aren't you the tiniest bit embarrassed about your parents walking in?" I asked, rummaging through the clothes on the floor to find my shirt.

He started his search on the other side of the room. "No, not really. We're both adults, it's only to be expected that I'd be in the middle of ravishing you when they walked in," he replied.

I laughed loudly. "Ravishing me?"

"Found it. And yes, ravishing you," he said, walking towards me, shirt in hand. He slipped it over my head. "There, feel better when you're all the way clothed?"

"Much," I answered.

We said bye to Jack's mom, but Jake was too busy shoving waffles in his mouth to say anything.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Jack smiled and set me on his bike. "It's a surprise."

"So many surprises lately," I said. "I just don't know what to do with myself."

He hopped on the bike. "I know, I know. Close your eyes."

He started the bike. I buried my head into his back. He was just wearing a t-shirt, but he was still warm. I loved that about him. I loved everything about him. They way he smiled, the way he laughed, the way he looked when he was angry.

"Keep your eyes closed," said Jack as the bike rumbled to a stop a few minutes later. The wind blew the smell of the salty ocean towards us.

"Where are we?" I asked. I felt Jack get off the bike.

"That's part of the secret," he answered.

He slipped his arms around me and helped me off the bike. It's a bit tough to do with your eyes closed. I took a few steps, but after stumbling a few times, I heard Jack sigh. I gasped as he scooped me into his arms.

"What are you doing?" I laughed nervously. The whole secrecy thing was making me a bit anxious.

He chuckled, but didn't answer. It was quiet for a few minutes. Was he trying to take me away so I couldn't go on the trip with Edward? It sounded a little extreme, but he really did not want me to go.

I didn't blame him. Edward had been sort of a crumb lately. Well, a little more than sort of. I'd never seen Jack as mad as he was the night that Edward kissed me. He was so close to phasing right in front of me. It was the only time I'd ever been scared of him.

Jack set me on the uneven ground. He snaked his arms around my waist and rested them on my stomach. He put his chin on my shoulder. "Open," he whispered.

I opened my eyes and couldn't help but sigh. It was First Beach, the place we had our first kiss. It seemed like an eternity ago.

"I love you," whispered Jack.

I twisted around in his embrace and wound my arms around his neck. "Mr. Black, I don't think I've ever been this happy."

"Ms. Hale, I think I feel the same way," replied Jack, grinning. His smile quickly faded. He pulled away from me and started pacing.

I stayed quiet. I knew he would talk about what he was thinking when he was ready. I just wasn't expecting all the happy to end so quickly.

"I don't want you to feel like we're moving to fast," he said, running his hand through his hair. "I mean, in all truth, we've only known each other for about two months."

"And?" I asked.

"It scares me that I can care so much about one person so quickly. I didn't know that I was capable of all this." He gestured between the two of us. "I just want to know if you think we're moving too fast, that's all."

I laughed. "That's what you're all worried about? Of course I don't think we're moving too fast. According to your whole werewolf side, we're meant for each other. I'm fairly certain that there's no moving too fast when that's the case."

He sighed happily and fumbled for something in his pocket. "I am so glad you said that," he murmured.

He pulled something out of the front pocket of his jeans... a little black box.

"Axelle," he started, his voice shaking a little bit. He got down on one knee.

My hands began to quiver. My heart beat unsteadily in my chest. My mind shut down.

He took a deep breath. "I love you so much. I don't know what I would do without you. I would do anything for you. I'd get along with your crazy uncle, punch my kidnapper of a step dad. Hell, if I could, I'd catch the wind for you. You are my life. Axelle Hale, will you marry me?" He opened the box. A diamond ring was perched inside.

I couldn't speak. Tears sprung to my eyes. Jack wanted to marry me. "Yes," I managed to whisper. I held out my hand and he slipped the ring onto it. It was a perfect fit. I held my arm out and examined the ring. I'd have to get used to seeing it there.

He smiled the biggest, most attractive smile I'd ever seen on his face. He scooped me into his arms and spun me around, splattering the unshed tears onto my cheeks. When he set me down, he kissed each of them off.

"I'm getting married," I said slowly. I smiled. "I'm excited."

"Me too." His smile once again melted off his face. "Although... I'm not certain about what your family will think about this."

"Oh... uh-oh. When should we tell them?" I asked.

The wind started to blow a bit harder. I shivered.

He lifted me into his arms, instantly becoming my own person heater, and started to lope back to the bike. "How about right now?"

I shrugged. Poor Jack didn't know what he was getting into.

* * *

**Review, you'll get an audition with Jose Iturbi... and if you know who that is, I just might have to marry you.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here you are, my darlings.**

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I took a deep breath as I got off the motorcycle. Jack took my hand and we headed towards the house.

"Relax," said Jack.

"Sorry. My family just doesn't take surprises well," I sighed, putting my hand on the doorknob.

I took one more big breath and opened the door to the big house.

Emmett scooped me into a big hug as soon as I could get over the threshold. "Hi, Axy!"

"Hi, Unc," I said, trying to be as enthusiastic as he was. I was having a hard time of it, he could tell. He eyed me suspiciously. "Are Auntie Alice and Uncle Edward still here?" I asked. It would severely hinder my progress with my family if Edward told the secret before I could. He would pluck it straight from my mind.

"Nope, left last night," answered Emmett.

I sighed in relief. "Okay. Can everyone come here, please?" I called. The whole family entered the room. I smiled inwardly as my parents walked in. They spent as much time at the big house as they did our house. It seemed I never spent any time at my own house anymore. I told them all to sit in the living room. Jack and I stood in front of the fireplace, my left hand hidden in his right.

"What is it?" asked my dad. "You're nervous, why?" He looked at me questioningly.

I gave him a sweet smile. "You know I love you, daddy."

"I do know that," he answered, grinning.

"And you know that I'd back any choice _you_ made one hundred percent, right?" I asked.

"Yes," he said skeptically.

"What's wrong, Axelle?" asked my mom nervously.

"Please tell them, Axelle," said Jack. He squeezed my hand.

"I don't like the sound of this," said Emmett. "Oh my God, are you pregnant?" Emmett yelled. He glared at Jack, murder in his eyes. Jack cocked an eyebrow.

"Emmett," sighed Rosalie, putting a hand on his arm.

"No!" I exclaimed. "No, no, no. Emmett, if you touch him I will find a way to rip your arms off, I swear."

Emmett shifted his stare to me. "If he got you pregnant, I swear I'll rip _his_ arms off."

"I'm not pregnant! Shut up, Emmett, God!" I exclaimed. Emmett all but stuck his tongue out at me.

Carlisle and Esme were quietly observing the situation. "What do you want to tell us, Axelle?" asked Carlisle quietly.

I looked at Jack. He smiled, leaving me slightly breathless. "I'm engaged," I said quickly, squeezing Jack's hand as hard as I could. I wasn't sure if I was ready ready for what they'd say.

"That means you're pregnant!" yelled Emmett, throwing his hands in the air. "You only get married at eighteen if you're pregnant."

"Just because I get married when I'm eighteen doesn't mean I'm pregnant, Emmett," I said, my voice strained.

My dad was still, his mouth open. "You're just a baby though," he said.

"No, I'm not," I replied, looking at my feet.

"You're always my baby," he muttered quietly. My mom put a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, Axelle! I think that's wonderful!" exclaimed Esme, getting up from her seat. "Let me see the ring."

I pulled my hand from Jack's and held it out in front of me. He slipped an arm around my waist.

Esme took it and examined the ring carefully. "Oh, this is beautiful."

"Thanks." I smiled. Esme always made everything better and she didn't even have to try.

My mom got up and joined Esme. "Wow! That's amazing," she gushed, gazing at the diamonds. "It looks so good on you."

Emmett stood up while my mom and Esme were admiring my ring. "Jack, I need to talk to you."

"Wait! Can I talk to you first?" I asked.

He nodded and led the way to Carlisle's office. As soon as he shut the door, it got awkward. It was strange. Things were never awkward with Emmett and me.

"I love Carlisle's paintings in here," I said, running my finger along the frame on the largest one. It was a picture of Carlisle and three other men. All of the people in the picture had inhumanly beautiful faces. They must have been vampires too. The city they were in looked unbelievable picturesque, almost like it wasn't real.

"Most of the pictures in here are from Italy. Carlisle lived there before he knew any of us," said Emmett flatly. I'd always wanted to visit Italy.

I shifted my mind back to the matter at hand. Italy was pretty, but I had more important things to think about at the moment.

"Emmett, please. I'm so happy right now. Can't you be happy with me?" I asked, frowning.

He sat on Carlisle's desk. "Axelle, you mean the world to me. You know that, don't you? I just think that... that maybe you should... I don't know, wait to get married? It just seems like you've rushed the entire relationship with Jack. He's a nice guy and everything, but are you really ready for that level? You guys are still in high school!"

"You know that Jack imprinted on me. We were meant to be together. If I wasn't ready, I would have told him so. I just don't see why you're so unhappy," I replied. I hopped up next to him on the desk and laid my head on his shoulder.

"I just want you to be five again. The biggest thing we had to worry about then were the times you'd only eat the marshmallows from your Lucky Charms." He laughed and slung his arm around my shoulders.

"I still do that," I replied.

It was quiet for a few minutes. I was content to sit with Emmett for however long he wanted me to. He was my best friend, and I didn't want an engagement to ruin that for us. I knew that he'd grow to accept it in a little while, but I wanted him to be okay with it _now_.

"Whatever makes you happy makes me happy," he finally said.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"You might want to call Alice. I'm pretty sure you're going to have the whole wedding planned for you," he said.

I sighed. Alice was sure to go way over the top with everything. I'd let her plan it though. She'd be thrilled if I asked her to.

Back in the living room, Jack was talking with my dad. When Jack saw Emmett, he excused himself. Both of them slipped out the back door.

I reached for my phone before anyone could ask me any questions.

"Alice, I have something to tell you," I said when she picked up.

"What?"

"I'm getting married," I said.

Alice's squeal made my ears ring. "Really!? Oh, I have to come down there right now. It's a shame we didn't stay a day longer! I wish I could see what happens with werewolves too," she said, clearly irritated. "Here, Edward wants to talk."

"Are you really getting married?" he demanded a second later.

"Yes," I answered. I started pacing back and forth.

"Have your dad and Emmett gone after Jack yet?"

"Almost. I had to tell Emmett I wasn't pregnant about a billion times before he would calm down. It was all hectic for a second. Things are pretty quiet right now. I don't know if they're shocked or just ignoring me," I said.

"Well, do you want to go on your trip before or after the wedding?" asked Edward.

"I'll go before. I think it'll be easier for Alice to plan if I'm not meddling in all the wedding business. I have a feeling I'd be rather counterproductive."

"Okay. When do you think we should go? I think a weekday would be best. There are less people traveling."

"Whenever works for you."

"Have you decided where we're going yet?" he asked.

I pondered for a minute. I really did like the pictures of Italy in Carlisle's office. It looked so beautiful there. "I think I'd like to go to Italy," I answered.

"Italy it is."

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**Review, your best friend will not move to South Korea.**


	19. Chapter 19

****

Oooooh wow. It's been longer than I thought!

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"I can't believe that you're leaving me tomorrow," said Jack, his lips at my ear.

I was leaving for Italy the next morning, and Jack was less than happy about it.

I snuggled closer to him. Sleeping in his bed was just so comfortable. I felt safe in his arms. I knew nothing would ever hurt me as long as I was with him.

"It's only for a week. I'll come back just the way I left, I promise," I assured him. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me tight.

"If you come back with so much as a scratch, I'll never let you out of my sight again," he whispered.

I turned to face him. "Why are you so worried?" I looked into his eyes, searching for any answer.

"I don't want to be away from you," he answered. "It makes me so anxious. When you spend the night at the big house, I can never sleep. What if Emmett accidentally hurts you? What if you eat something bad? What if you fall down the stairs? There are so many things that can hurt you, Axelle. I'm nervous if you're in a different _room_ that I am, let alone a different country."

I put my head against his chest. "You can't stop me from getting hurt every second of the day, Jack."

"That doesn't mean that I can't try." He twirled a piece of my hair around his finger. "I just hate being away from you, that's all." He kissed the top of my head and put his hand on the small of my back.

"After I come back, we don't have to be away from each other at all." I traced his abdominal muscles with my pinkie finger.

"You better really mean that, love."

"And what if I don't?" I said, smiling against his chest. "What if I decide I want this relationship to remain strictly long distance? We could be pen pals!" I exclaimed. He knew I was joking.

"Then I'll have to... to tell your dad how great you are in bed," he said. He started laughing uncontrollably. "And then you'd have a husband with no arms. It'd be all over the news. 'Poor student lost arms in freak father-in-law accident! How'd you like to have that on your conscience?"

I kissed his neck. "Oh, I'd manage. Besides, he's not even your father-in-law yet."

Jack laughed. "That's changing _two days_ after you get home."

I shuddered. "I'm so nervous," I said honestly.

"I love you, you love me, what's there to be nervous about?" he asked.

"Well, Alice has me wearing this _crazy_ wedding dress... I just don't know what I'd be able to do in it! I mean, we'd be separated by a five foot wide crinoline! Talk about uncomfortable. If I fall over, there's no getting back up," I explained.

Jack laughed hysterically. "Axelle, stop! How am I supposed to breathe when you make me laugh like this?!"

"I wouldn't need an airbag if we got into a crash. My dress is big enough, I'd just be smothered by that instead of the air bag."

"Axelle Hale, stop it!" cried Jack.

"And," I started.

He interrupted me by kissing me fiercely. "No more," he warned.

I obliged. I'd stop as long as he kept kissing me like he was.

The next morning, after a sleepless night, Edward picked me up at Jack's house. He waited in the car while Jack put my suitcase in the trunk.

"I'll miss you," said Jack, gazing into my eyes.

"I'll miss you, too," I whispered.

He lowered his lips to mine. His hands found their way to my lower back, and he pushed me closer to him. My mind drifted to the night before.

Edward honked the horn and I yelped.

"You better go," said Jack, trying to hide his smile.

"I love you," I sighed.

"Love you," he replied.

When I got into the car, Edward looked quite a bit less than happy.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He reversed out of the driveway quickly and sped down the road. We were heading to the Seattle airport.

"I was unfortunate enough to be assaulted by thoughts of your sex life just then. I didn't even know you _had_ one!" exclaimed Edward. He pressed down the gas pedal harder.

"That is _none_ of your business," I gasped, my face turning red.

"It's not like I wanted to know," he snapped. "If I had my choi-"

His cell phone rang then, interrupting him. He looked at the caller ID, saw who it was, and pressed ignore. He set it one the center console.

"If I had my choice, I would erase that from my memory forever," he continued.

I sighed. It was going to be a very long trip if I kept accidentally thinking things about Jack that I certainly did not want Edward to hear.

Fifteen awkward minutes later, his cell phone beeped again. It was a text message this time. I grabbed his cell phone and read what it said.

_We're going to catch you. You are going to be so busted. I'm going to kill you, Edward. Give. Her. Back._

_-- Bella_

"Why is my mom going to kill you?" I asked, suddenly anxious.

"We're here!" said Edward, totally ignoring the question. He drove faster than any other person I'd ever met. He screeched to a stop in the large parking structure. He switched the car off and snatched his phone out of my hands.

I decided to leave the question until later. My mom was probably just joking with him. They were known to throw comments like that around, anyway.

Edward got our bags out of the back and led me to the terminal. I almost skipped onto the plane. I could not wait to get to Italy. I was so glad that we didn't have to stop anywhere. Once a day they had a flight straight to Italy from Seattle.

Once we were in the air, I decided to address the question again.

"So why is my mom going to kill you?" I asked.

"She misses you," he answered, smiling at me. "She just can't believe that I took you from her for an entire week. She hates it when you spend the night at Jack's, so think how she'll miss you when you go all the way to another country!"

That made sense. "Oh, I thought she was serious."

"Of course not," he laughed. "Your mother would have no reason to kill me."

I slept for most of the flight, thank goodness. It was a very long plane ride, and I would be terribly bored if I had to stay up for the entire thing. Edward nudged me awake as we were landing.

"Are you ready to see Italy?" he asked.

"Oh, I am so excited!" I squealed. Other passengers looked at me strangely, but I ignored them. They might have been here before, but it was my first time and they could deal with one giddy teenager.

"Me too," said Edward, grinning."I have some friends who have lived in Italy for a long time. They'll be thrilled to meet you."

"Are they vampires?" I whispered. My stomach dropped, and it had nothing to do with the plane losing altitude.

"Yes, but there's no reason to be afraid. You'll be fine," he answered. He said it with so much sincerity, I couldn't help but believe him.

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**Review, Mr. Incredible will me all macho at you.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Oh man... this is my favorite chapter I've ever written in the history of forever and ever. Bwahahaha. Oh man, you guys.**

**Oh. Man.**

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When Edward pulled up to the gate of the town he told me was Volterra, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. The only vampires I had ever talked to were the ones in my family. I had nothing to base my feelings on aside from the warning my dad had given me. Most vampires _were_ like the horror stories. That was enough for me.

"Edward, I don't know if I want to go in," I breathed. My heart hammered in my chest, and I was sure he could hear it.

"It's not scary in there, Axelle. These people have been friends of mine for a very, very long time. Trust me when I tell you that you will be safe here," said Edward. He was trying to calm me down, but it wasn't quite working. Night had fallen while we were on the plane, and I couldn't see his face to tell if he was lying or not. Not that I would have been able to if I could see his face.

Edward maneuvered the narrow streets of Volterra very well. It was like he'd done it a hundred times before. The buildings were so close together, I was sure that cars were not usually allowed on the streets here. Edward didn't seem to mind. He pulled right up to the largest building there. It was too dark to see any of the details very clearly.

"Let's go," said Edward. He got out and went around the front of the car to open my door.

"Edward, please," I whispered. Something terrible was going to happen, I knew it. He could tell me it was safe all he wanted, I just didn't think so.

He helped me out of the car by the hand. He escorted me through the front door and into the lobby. It looked more like the lobby of a hotel than the front room of a vampire haunt. There was a desk in the middle of the room, much like the ones used for making reservations. Perhaps this was all some cruel joke, and Edward was really taking me to a vampire themed hotel.

"Hello, Edward. It's been quite some time," said the woman behind the desk. She was a vampire, I could tell by looking at her. She was just as beautiful as my family was. There was just something different about her, though. My stomach dropped when I realized what color her eyes were. They were a dark red, and evil looking color.

I dropped my hopes of a prank then and there.

"Gianna, how have you been?" asked Edward, a genuine smile on his face. He let go of his hold on my hand to go embrace her.

"I've been simply divine," she answered, hugging him back tightly.

"Still working the desk, I see," noted Edward. When they pulled apart, I could see that Gianna was definitely attracted to him.

"Yeah, whatever keeps me around here," she sighed. It was then that her eyes shifted to me. "Snack? I didn't know you decided to change your mind."

"No, no, no. That's my niece. I've obviously not changed my ways, Gianna," he corrected.

_Snack?_ She thought I was Edward's snack? I needed to get out of that crypt as soon as possible. Maybe if I put up enough fight Edward would get embarrassed and let me leave. I could make it home on my own if I really had to. I did know a little bit of Italian. Enough to get me by, anyway. I would call Jack as soon as I could. He'd know what to do. I reached for the cell phone in my pocket.

"We need to get going," said Edward, reading my thoughts. He was going to get to me first. I figured that chances of outrunning him were one in a billion.

"You know the way." She gestured behind her.

Edward returned to my side and slipped his hand into mine. I resisted as best as I could, but he towed me along easily.

"Please," I pleaded.

Edward pulled me to a row of elevators. "They would have gotten to you eventually," he said as he pressed the button. The door opened immediately.

Tears started to gather in the corners of my eyes. Edward wasn't taking me on an "I'm sorry" trip at all. He was taking me as a treat to all of his friends. I just didn't know why Alice didn't tell us. She must have seen that he was planning this. Was she in on it too?

I tried one last time to yank my hand out of his, but he held tight.

"Don't be difficult," he murmured.

The door slid open, revealing a long, stone hallway. A burst of cold air hit me in the face. _This_ looked like where a vampire should be hiding. I would have bet that there were even cobwebs in the corners. I was just waiting for a rat to run by.

I walked a few steps, but Edward obviously got tired of being hindered by my human pace. He was getting more excited by the second. He swept me up and slung me over his shoulder. The force of it knocked the breath out of me.

I couldn't even see where we were going, my hair had fallen into my eyes. Edward didn't love me at all. He just faked it so he could take me to his little fiends. He and Alice were probably planning it since I joined their family.

Seconds later, Edward practically threw me off of his shoulder.

I gasped. The room we were in looked like it was like the tower of a castle. It was freezing, and filled to the very brim with vampires. I'm talking wall-to-wall bloodsuckers. There had to be at least fifteen of them. They were all involved in conversations with each other that were much to fast for me to understand. Their words blurred together into a buzz, like I was standing in a room full of bees. It looked like some little vampire party. I shuddered. I knew what was on the main course.

"Aro, I brought the one we discussed," called Edward over the buzzing. The talking came to an abrupt halt.

A vampire from the center of the room stepped towards us. His eyes were fixed on me.

"Great work, Edward. When you told me you knew where the girl we wanted to find was hiding, I was ready to send one of the guard to take care of it. Of course, it's not like you could have helped telling us." He glanced at a girl, one that looked even younger than I did, lovingly. "You've made things so much easier for us," Aro said. He was clearly talking to Edward, but his gaze was fixed on me. I felt uncomfortable, so say the least.

"What is going on?" I demanded, careful to avoid catching eyes with Aro. He gave me the creeps. He was a child molester, I knew it. Why else would he look at the little girl and me like he wanted to eat us? Well... why else would he look at _her_ like that, anyway?

"Axelle, your... uncle brought you here because we got word that you knew our secrets. That's against the rules, my dear," Aro explained. I looked into his eyes then, and was confused by the milky sort of film that covered them. I swallowed back a bit of nausea. It was like he has dust in his eyes!

"But I was raised by vampires! You don't think that I'd betray them, do you?" I asked. All eyes in the room were on me.

"We can't take chances _or_ make any exceptions. You have two choices, and I think you know what they are," Dusty-eyes clarified, smiling sadly.

"Turn into a vampire or die?" I guessed.

"Correct," replied Aro, his grin frozen in place. "Although, I do worry what this will do to my friendship with Carlisle. I've heard he's quite fond of you, child."

"He had a big hand in raising me, actually," I sighed.

"Ahem," coughed another vampire from the middle of the group.

"Marcus?" Aro said, addressing the one that had interrupted us.

Another ancient vampire drifted towards us. The others in the room shifted around him, almost like they were guarding him. They did the same for Aro. Marcus reached out and touched Aro's hand.

"Aro reads minds like I do, but he has to have physical contact. He can see every thought you've ever had," whispered Edward.

I glared at him. I was never, ever going to speak to him again if I lived through this night. He'd taken me to his stupid friends just so they wouldn't have to get off their asses to come get me, shortening my life by a great deal, I assumed.

"Axelle, there is a third option," said Aro. He looked a little more upset than he had a moment before.

Edward gasped. "No! She was warned!" He turned to me. "I thought you had much better judgement than that! You knew what would happen! Of all the stupid things you would do, this is cert-"

"What's going on?!" I yelled, interrupting Edward. I was eager to see what Aro had to offer. I hoped it was better than the two choices I had already.

"Well, Marcus noticed something. He sees relationships, Axelle. There's one relationship that even we aren't able to break. It's a rather sacred relationship, the one you have going on. We aren't monsters, no matter what you think," laughed Aro.

"I don't understand," I frowned. Could he see how I was tied to Jack? How close I was to my family? What relationship would be too sacred for them to break?

It was Marcus that elaborated. "Axelle, you are currently with child."

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**See, see what I mean?! Ohh, Marcus. You are a life saver, you are.**

**Review, I'M JUST SO EXCITED!**


	21. Chapter 21

**You guys reviewed AWESOME last time! :D**

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"What do you mean? There's no baby in here!" I said, my voice wavering. I put my hands on my stomach. There couldn't be a baby in there. I was only eighteen! That wasn't old enough to have a baby. Babies were for old people!

"Well, you're not starting to show yet. That'll be in a few weeks," explained Aro. "But you do 'have a baby in there', and I suggest you thank it for keeping you human a bit longer."

"But... it's a _baby_," I whispered, looking down at my stomach. It was flat, not even a hint of a baby bump at all. I couldn't even imagine what I'd look like with a big whale belly.

When I thought back, I didn't remember ever using protection, like my family had told me to. I could see why they thought to warn me. Who knew a baby would happen!? I'd just thought of it as a "that will never happen to me" situation. I didn't actually think that I would ever be... pregnant. Besides, protection was the last thing on my mind when Jack and I were in bed.

"Yes, Axelle. That's what happens when you make foolish mistakes," Edward said sharply. "I thought you knew better, but I was obviously wrong." He gestured to my stomach.

"I need to talk to Jack. I have to call him. Please, please let me call him," I pleaded, looking Aro right in his dusty eyes.

Aro looked at me, a wide smile on his face. "Axelle, how would you like to see Jack?"

"What?! Edward, you brought Jack into this too? How could you?" I screamed. "I trusted you, dammit!"

"No, no, no," Aro laughed. "You may go home! Of course, there is one condition."

"What, what is it?" I asked quickly.

"You'll have to return once you have your child. We expect you back here as soon as you think the baby is settled. We will change you then," replied Aro. "Rules are rules, and we just can't have a human running about that knows our secrets."

"So... I can go?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes!" exclaimed Aro, clapping his hands together. "I just love happy endings."

"Get me out of here," I snarled at Edward. I wasn't even going to say bye to the filthy vampires in the room. They wanted me dead.

He lifted me gently, much more gently than he had minutes earlier, and sprinted out of the room. We were in the car in less than a minute. Edward started it, and drove down the streets like he did earlier. I was going to try my hardest to avoid all conversation with him.

"Axelle," he started.

"Don't," I whispered.

"Please."

"Stop."

"Just listen."

"No!" I screamed. "I am _done_ with you, Edward Cullen. You take me to the god damn vampire police, and then you expect me to talk to you? Don't ever, _ever_ talk to me again. Stay the hell away from me after we get back."

"I did it for your own good!" he exclaimed before I could interrupt.

I paused. "How?" I finally asked. I was eager to see what kind of excuse he could make up. "How is taking me for snack for my own good?"

"Aro summoned me to Italy a few weeks ago. He just wanted to ask if I'd join the Volturi, that's the 'vampire police'. I told him no, like I usually do when he asks. I shook his hand by mistake. He saw _everything_ about you, Axelle. He was prepared to send the guard out to kill you right away. Since you're human, they think that you're a risk. It's the Volturi's job to keep the vampire world hidden, and they take it very, very seriously. They were going to kill your mom back in the day for the same reason, and they gave her the same options that they gave you, minus the whole _pregnant_ clause.

"Before he had a chance to send the guard out, I told him that I'd bring you to Italy. He said that if you agreed to it, they would consider changing you. Had they gone out on their own, they would have killed you in Forks without giving you any options. I set up the going away trip as soon as I could. Even the kiss was a planned event. It was all done so I would have some reason to take you on a vacation, some reason to bring you here. Quite frankly, it was pure luck that you chose Italy. I would have taken you here anyway, no matter what place you picked. Alice knew about it, and she knew that we couldn't tell your family. They'd kill me, and that would end up killing you. She must have let it slip just after I picked you up from Jack's, and that must be how Bella found out.

"The reason I didn't tell the rest of the family is because I knew that they would fight. Every single one of them would fight to the death for you, Axelle. And do you know who'd be at the head of the fight? Jack and Emmett. They'd be killed, no matter how hard they fought. I needed to bring you here to save everyone's life, Axelle. Please, don't hold that against me. I was just trying to do what's right. If we're lucky, we'll get on our plane to the US before their plane lands here. They'll kill me without asking questions." His hands were shaking by the end of his speech. He looked so upset.

"Is that true?" I breathed.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "I would never do anything to hurt you! You're my niece!"

"But... I thought so many bad things about you!" I gasped. "I feel so terrible about them now."

"You're not the one who should feel terrible, Axelle. I did all of those horrible, unspeakable things to you. I will never forgive myself, not for as long as I live," he sighed.

"It was what was best for the family, Edward. You had to do it, I understand. Please don't beat yourself up over it. I'm not angry at you," I assured him.

I was shocked when the bright lights of the airport shone into the car. Edward drove much faster than anyone should ever even think about driving. He belonged on the race track, not the road.

When we pulled up, he took my suitcase out of the trunk and we walked to check-in. Right as we stepped through the door, Edward froze.

"What is it?" I asked. I scanned the terminal. When I saw what made him freeze, my heart burst into overdrive.

"Jack!" I screamed. Jack was standing about twenty feet away, and he did _not _look happy.

When he heard the sound of my voice, his head snapped up. His face brightened immediately. "Axelle?" he called. He sounded shocked.

I ran towards him as fast as I could, and jumped into his arms. He spun me around.

"Oh, Axelle. Don't you ever do that to me again," he breathed. He set me down and grabbed a hold of my face. He kissed me until I was breathless.

"Jack, I'm so sorry. So sorry," I whispered when we were done.

He did answer. He was looking behind me, right at Edward. "Axelle, I have a little business to take care of." He stepped away from me.

"No, no, Jack!" I exclaimed.

He ignored me and started walking towards Edward. "Jack, stop it! Stop _now_!" I yelled.

He spun around to face me. "Axelle, are you kidding me? He takes you to his bloodsucker friends, and you don't think that I should kill him? _Really_?" he yelled back.

"It's not like that!" I retorted.

"What is it then, Axelle. How did he tell you he was innocent? What lies did he throw at you? Oh, and what did his reeking leech friends tell you? Might as well let me know that too, don't you think?" asked Jack sarcastically, throwing his hands in the air.

It was then that I remembered I had something else to tell him. Something that didn't involve Edward at all. It was something that his 'reeking leech friends' told me. "Jack... I have to tell you something. Something that I found out while I was here."

When he saw the way my face changed, he was at my side as soon as possible. He tilted my chin up with his finger. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath. "I-I-" I choked. I couldn't spit it out. How would he react? I didn't want him to think less of me once I told him I was having a baby. What if he left me? What if he didn't love me anymore? I couldn't stand it. "I'm sorry! I didn't know! Please, please don't be angry! I don't want you to throw me away!" I cried.

"Axelle, please," he breathed. He looked so worried.

My heart thundered in my ears. I took one more breath. "Jack, I'm pregnant.

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	22. Chapter 22

"Pregnant? But... how?" breathed Jack.

"Do I reall-"

Jack interrupted me. "No, I know how. I'm just... how did it happen to us?"

"Oops?" I shrugged. Treating it like a joke would make me feel better about the whole situation. It would make it feel a little less real.

"Axelle, please be serious. My baby is in here!" He put his large hand on my stomach, rubbing in soft and gentle arcs. "Are we going to keep it?" he whispered. His large, puppy-like eyes stared up at me in wonder.

"Oh! Well... I thought we would." The idea of an abortion didn't even occur to me. There was no way I could kill this baby inside of me.

"Good. I wouldn't give it up without a fight. I can't believe we're having a baby..." He was gazing at my stomach with the strangest expression on his face.

"Ahem," coughed Edward, looking at us expectantly. He was holding his cell phone away from his ear. I could hear whoever was yelling on the other end. It sounded like my dad.

Jack ripped his gaze from my stomach to glare at Edward. He turned slightly, but I grabbed his arm, looking pleadingly into his eyes. He was not going to harm Edward.

"Jack, listen to me right now. Edward was watching out for me. He saved my life, okay?" I held my hand out for the phone. "Just wait a second before you eat him, okay? I'll explain in a second."

Jack growled.

I ignored him and put the phone to my ear.

"Bring her back to me this very instant!" bellowed my dad.

"Dad. Daddy. Dad!" I exclaimed. He was still ranting, despite the fact that I was talking right to him. "I'm right here."

"Oh, Axelle. Are you alright?" he asked desperately. "Come back home! Don't bring him with you! I'm going to kill that backstabber."

"Thank God!" exclaimed my mom from the background.

"I'm just fine, dad. Stay at home, I'll be there soon. Edward is helping me. Have Alice explain it to you. Don't worry about anything. Trust me on this one," I said quickly, trying to reassure him the best I could over the phone.

"We'll be waiting for you at the airport," he sighed. I snapped the phone shut. I yawned loudly as I passed the phone back to Edward. This day had been just a tad more than stressful.

"I'll go check the bags," said Edward quietly, leaving Jack and me alone.

I put my cheek against Jack's chest. I could hear his steady heart beating, and found, it was pumping faster than usual. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight. I would be content to stay like that for the rest of my life, but we had other plans.

"Would you be angry if I said I was excited?" asked Jack. His voice was slightly muffled by my hair, however, the barely shielded giddiness shone through his voice clearly.

"No. Would you be angry if I told you I was absolutely terrified of being pregnant?" I asked.

"No. I'll be there. You'll have nothing to worry about, I promise. I'll do everything I can to make this easy for you." He sounded so sure of himself. I decided to test him.

"Will you still be there when I'm huge?"

"Of course," he laughed.

"What if I wake you up one night and ask you to get me... a pickle dipped in chocolate with melted cheese on it?" I knew you craved some strange things when you were pregnant, and that was the best I could come up with at the moment.

He shuddered. "I'd still be there."

"What if I tell you that the pickle you got wasn't crunchy enough. Would you leave me then?"

"Axelle, don't worry! I'll be there for you no matter what happens. When we move into the house, it'll reall-"

"What house?" I asked quickly.

"Oh... damn. I'm an idiot," said Jack, hitting himself in the forehead.

I stepped away from him and crossed my arms. "What house?" I pressed.

He sighed. "Happy wedding?"

"You got us a house?" My jaw dropped to the floor.

"Surprise!" he exclaimed loudly, but uneasily, still a little unsure of himself.

"Where is it?" I asked. I didn't want to be too far away from my parents or the big house.

"It's only about a mile away from the big house. We're only a minute away, I promise," explained Jack.

"How did you find one that close?" The Cullens and the Hales liked their privacy, and I would have thought that there was no house to buy that close. They probably owned a good portion of the surrounding land.

"That's a surprise that I will not ruin." He mirrored my position, crossing his arms and glaring.

"Let's go!" called Edward from across the terminal. Jack smiled and took my hand, releasing his stiff and formal stance. Of course he had been kidding.

"How did you keep from ripping the plane to shreds while flying over here?" I asked.

"I had to keep telling myself that sending it plunging into the ocean would not get me closer to you any faster. You really, really scared me, Axelle. I'm so, so overjoyed that you got out of there alive." He squeezed my hand tighter.

My heart thumped in my chest. I still had to tell him the reason I got to escape. I knew he wouldn't be happy... and I knew that I probably shouldn't do it on the airplane. Yes, he had rescued me, but I think ripping the plane to bits with me on it was a little counterproductive.

I stopped walking. "Jack."

He spun around to face me, hands out. "Oh my God, Axelle, what? Are you okay? Do you need anything? Are you sick?" He caught my face in his hands. "Are you okay?" he repeated when I refused to answer

I looked to the right. Edward was standing there, his eyebrows raised. He nodded once and turned around. I didn't blame him for not wanting to be in Jack's path after I told him what I had to do.

I sucked in a big gulp of air and said, "Jack, I have to come back after the baby's born."

Jack dropped his hands from my face and clenched them at his side. "And then they're going to kill you?"

"No," I answered quietly. I looked at my feet.

"What are they going to do, Axelle!?" he yelled.

I flinched. "They... they're going to change me. If it wasn't for Edward, they would have killed me right away, no questions asked. He brought me here to save my life, not to ruin it."

"Well, you just won't go back, then," said Jack through clenched teeth.

"I can't just not go back! Then they'll kill me for sure. I think me changing... I think it's the best deal we're going to get out of this, Jack." I wrapped my arms around his neck. I could feel him quivering. "Just calm down. We'll discuss it more later. I'm just so happy to see you."

A voice came over the intercom system, announcing that all passengers to Seattle were supposed to be through security by then.

"We will be discussing this more later," said Jack forcefully. "They aren't taking you away from me."

"Okay," I sighed. I certainly didn't want to talk about it more. As far as I was concerned, I didn't want to talk about it until I absolutely had to.

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	23. Chapter 23

**HERE you go :D**

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"Okay, now don't freak out."

I knew it was the worst possible way to start any conversation, let alone one that includes the whole "I'm pregnant" bit. After we got off the plane, my parents left Jack and me with zero time to even prepare what we were going to say. Edward left before even talking to them, and I couldn't blame him. My parents didn't bring him up. They wouldn't let me out of their sight, and Jack wouldn't let me out of his, so that meant no alone time. We'd only been at home, our home, for five minutes. I told them not to go to the big house... I'd tell Emmett separately.

"Should we... sit down?" my dad asked. He was eying the both of us very suspiciously. My mom didn't say a word. They knew something big was going to happen. I bet they thought it was about Italy.

"Yeah, you should," I sighed.

Once they sat, they stared at me with expectant eyes. I glanced to Jack. I was very, very unsure of myself, and I knew my dad could feel it. I didn't want them to end up eating me, or Jack for that matter, alive. Jack nodded and smiled slightly.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "I'm pregnant," I squeaked.

My dad blanched. "What the hell, Axelle?"

"Sorry!" I whispered, my eyes still squeezed firmly shut.

"But... that'd mean," breathed my mom.

"Yeah, I know what it means..." I opened one eye and looked at her.

"You're only eighteen, though. Isn't that a little young to be doing things like that?" she asked. Her voice was gaining its usual volume, and I could see her getting angrier.

"Technically, it is legal," I countered.

I looked at my dad, and it was obvious that he was furious. "Of all the stupid things you could do, Axelle, this is number one!" He started pacing the length of the couch.

"But, dad!"

"No, Axelle. This is the most idiotic thing you've ever, ever done, and I expect that you are thinking the exact sam-"

"Excuse me, but we're both actually quite thrilled with the idea. We think that we are fully ready to be parents, and to take on any responsibility that follows. If you count our age in maturity, we're much older than we are. Please, don't make this any harder on her than it already is," said Jack. His voice was polite, but I could see him seething under the surface.

Jasper's mouth fell open. "That's impossible."

"No... I am pretty excited," I agreed.

"They are very mature for their age, Jasper," said my mom. I could tell that she was still irritated at me for being irresponsible, but as long as I wanted to have the baby, she would be behind me one hundred percent. That was what I loved most about my mom. Once I made a decision, she did everything she could to help me out with it.

Jasper threw his arms into the air. "Are you all against me?" he asked, exasperated.

I shrugged. "Sorta," I joked.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Go, Axelle. Go tell the family what's happened and give me time to cool down. I just don't think I can talk to you right now."

I nodded grimly, looking down at the spotless carpet. I waved a goodbye to my mom, and pulled Jack out of the house behind me. Just as we walked out the door, out of my peripheral vision, I saw my mom go to comfort my dad

"He didn't hit me!" said Jack, trying to lighten my severely dampened mood. I was close to tears. My dad thought I was an idiot for being pregnant. That stung. I knew Jack was angry, but the fact that he was willing to joke around to make me feel better made me feel... well, better.

"I am so scared to tell Emmett," I breathed.

He fished a ring of keys out of his pocket, the keys to my car, and sighed. "He loves you and supports you. You don't have to worry."

He opened my door for me, and even helped me in. I didn't even look pregnant, let alone feel pregnant. I was still very much able to get into the car by myself.

I didn't talk much as he drove to the big house. I was thinking about what I would say to Emmett. It wasn't raining, so I wanted to talk to him outside. I liked that much better than being cramped up in the house, where my every word would be heard. I also thought it'd relax him. He always seemed more comfortable when he was outside. I would hurt him with my information even more than I would have if I got pregnant before his little sex talk. He warned me, and I didn't even listen. He was going to hate me.

"Axelle, we're here," said Jack, snapping me out of my focus.

"Oh," I murmured.

I got out and sighed. "Emmett!" I called. I didn't want to go inside to explain what happened to everyone. I'd have Alice explain it to them once I broke the news about the baby.

"Good luck," whispered Jack. I need to talk to Emmett alone, he knew that. He entered the house just as Emmett was coming out of it.

He sprinted towards me. I was scooped into a crushing hug so fast, I didn't even have time to protest before I ran out of breath.

"Emmett, stop!" I yelled. Squeezing all the life out of me probably wasn't the best thing for the baby.

"I'm sorry. I just missed you so much. I was worried you wouldn't come back, and then I wouldn't have any more friends, and I'd be sad, and it'd be bad!" he ranted.

"Emmett, I need to talk to you," I said seriously.

He frowned. He moved to pick me up, but I stopped him.

"Gently," I warned.

He ran for a much shorter time than I would have hoped. I wanted him to run forever, just so I wouldn't have to tell him. When he did stop, he set me down very carefully.

"Talk," he commanded.

"I'm pregnant," I said, getting straight to the point. There was no beating around the bush with Emmett.

His face was blank. I could see his chest heaving in and out, but not a word escaped his lips. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Emmett?" I asked slowly.

"No!" he roared. He sounded so anguished; tears sprang to my eyes immediately. My knees went weak, and I sank to the ground.

I looked up through blurry eyes, and I saw that Emmett wasn't there any longer. He had abandoned me just when I needed him most of all. I buried my face in my hands and cried like there was no tomorrow. He reacted much worse than I thought he would have. I thought he would scold me, maybe yell a little bit, but there was no expecting this reaction. I was an adult, and I was free to make my own choices. I just didn't understand. I curled into a ball on the ground, abandonment clouding my thoughts.

That was how Jack found me. It couldn't have been too long after Emmett ran away. Jack was probably listening, just to see if I was okay after my talk. He must have heard Emmett's roar and come to see what had gone awry.

I was still sobbing as he sat beside my huddled body. He scooped me into his arms and cradled me into his lap. I put my face into the hollow of his neck and sighed sadly. He stroked my hair from the top of my head to my waist. He knew not to say anything until I was ready.

We sat like that, not speaking, for what seemed like days. His skin kept me warm, despite the falling temperature.

I needed something to think about that was away from the topic of Emmett.

"Think of any names yet?" I croaked.

"Hmm," he mused. I felt the vibrations in his throat. "I've never really thought about that before, actually. I've been a little preoccupied. Do you have any names?"

"Jack for a boy, Jill for a girl? Fred and Ginger?" I suggested, grinning despite the situation.

He laughed. "Yeah, right. We might as well name it Dick or Jane. Seriously, though, Axelle. Any names?"

"Well... I've thought about it on and off. You know, just like a little girl dreams about her wedding. I always liked the name Allegra for a girl, Ansel for a boy."

"Allegra and Ansel... I wouldn't mind either of those names," said Jack. "They're both unusual."

"I like unusual."

"Ahem, my name is Jack, the least unusual of all the names out there."

"But how many Jacks can say that they are a werewolf, eh?"

He was silent.

"That's what I thought," I said, smiling smugly.

To be honest, I was thrilled that he liked the names Allegra and Ansel. I had loved those names ever since I could remember. Ansel was a Danish name, and because my name was oh so very Danish, I thought it only fitting. Allegra just sounded like she'd grow up to be beautiful, smart, the kind of person that I'd want to be friends with. I wished I could have two babies, just so I could name each of them what I wanted.

"Allegra and Ansel," whispered Jack. "I love it."

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	24. Chapter 24

"Well, Axelle, you're about six weeks along," said Carlisle, wiping the gross ultrasound jelly off my stomach. Jack was holding my hand, laughing at the face I made. It felt like someone put jam on my belly. Jam had no place in a hospital room. I still didn't look very pregnant... I didn't understand why he had to use the jelly. It wigged me out a little bit.

"That explains the nausea," Carlisle went on. "Usually, a mother gets the morning sickness in the sixth week."

"I hate it," I said, frowning. It was only the day after I told my family I was pregnant, and I was already being wracked with dizzying bouts of morning sickness. Earlier that morning, I'd been hunched over the toilet for three hours. Jack was always nice, and he didn't complain at all. He sat there like a good fiancée would and held my hair back. Even so, three hours seemed like a long, long time.

"I'm sorry, Axelle," sighed Carlisle. He helped me off the table and escorted us out of the room. He still had to work for a few more hours, and he couldn't walk us outside. I was happy when it was just Jack and me, though. We walked to the car, hand-in-hand, not saying a single word.

When he opened my door for me, I waited a moment before getting in the car. I was overwhelmed with all that was happening, and sighed heavily.

"What is it?" asked Jack anxiously. "Do we need to go back in? I'll carry you!" He played the part of nervous dad-to-be very well.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just... I'm tired," I sighed. I ducked into the car and closed my door.

Jack got in the driver's seat and just looked at me before starting the car. "What can I do to make this easier for you? You name it, I'll do it."

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the seat. What made me the most tired was the fact that Emmett was not speaking to me. In fact, nobody had seen him since he ran off. Rosalie was getting worried, but she knew he could take care of himself. I tried to convince myself that everything would work out between us, but I actually wasn't entirely sure. I'd never seen him like that before. It scared me.

And then there was the wedding. Since I came back from Italy earlier than was planned, there were still four days until I was supposed to get married. Alice told me that I had to come later so she could measure my dress yet again. I told her it was ridiculous... I hadn't grown any. She just wanted to make sure. That whole pressure was a little stressful.

"Want to elope?" I asked jokingly. But as I said it, I realized that it would make things so much easier. I wouldn't have to deal with Alice poking and prodding me with pins. I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not Emmett would show up. It would be painless.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?" he asked.

I grinned. "Yes, actually. Alice won't be able to see it! She can't see you!" I squealed.

"Are... are you sure? You might regret it later," he warned.

"No, no, let's go. Let's drive to Vegas. We can be there tomorrow if we leave in the next couple hours. Nobody has to know until we're there!" I exclaimed. It all made perfect sense to me. Easy, fast, stress-free, what could be better?

A slow smile started to cross Jack's face. "I'm up for it if you are," he said.

"We have to go right this very second," I urged him.

"Axelle, I know you want this, and I can't say that it wouldn't be nice to skip the whole wedding thing, but Alice has spent so much of her time on this wedding," explained Jack.

"She loves throwing parties! She's planned at least fifteen weddings for Emmett and Rosalie, so I don't think she'll be that angry about having to cancel one. Please, Jack?" I pleaded.

He sighed. "Fine, Axelle. We'll go get the clothes you have at my house, and then we'll leave. We are going to call them once we get on the road. You can't just disappear... they'd kill you."

I just shrugged and waited for him to start the car. My stomach was churning wildly. I was excited. I was an adult, and I could make my own decisions.

He drove home quickly. He was obviously anxious. He was just starting to fall into my family's good graces, and I felt bad for being the one that was going to destroy it. I was being terribly selfish, I knew that. My heart sank as I realized what I was going to do.

"Jack, we don't have to. I know that my family likes you right now, and I know that it will be very hard for you to gain their respect again." I looked over to see what his reaction would be.

"I hate weddings," he said. "Hell yeah, we're going to Vegas."

I laughed. "Thank God."

He screeched to a halt in front of his house. We only had a few minutes before someone realized we were up to something. I was just happy to see that the car Jacob and Julie usually drove was not in the driveway.

As soon as Jack and I got to his room, we started tossing assorted clothing into a bag.

"Wait! My Italy suitcase is in the trunk!" I exclaimed, pausing before I threw a pair of jeans into the bag.

"Excellent! We'll just pack mine and then we can go." I dropped my jeans and started looking for Jack's clothes.

We were giggling like school children by the time we were finished. "I feel like a first grader that cleverly hoarded some candy into class," I whispered.

Jack grabbed my hand and towed me down the hallway.

"We're so sneaky!" he whispered back.

"Why are we whispering?" I laughed.

"It's just what you do when you're up to no good!"

We hopped in the car, and Jack pulled away from his house. As soon as he could, he had the car going well over the speed limit.

"We are going to be in so much trouble!" I exclaimed.

"That's okay. Weddings are stuffy, boring, long, unnecessary. Need I go on?" asked Jack.

"I get it. If we get married in Vegas, there will be nobody there to cry over us, or to tell us that we had a beautiful ceremony. And if we're lucky, we might even get a chapel that's next to some slot machines. Talk about romantic!" I gushed, throwing my hand over my eyes. I had to work to keep a straight face.

"If we're really lucky, we might even get Elvis to marry us!" He looked so excited, I knew he had to be joking. The corner of his mouth twitched, and I could see him working to conceal his laugh.

"I would much prefer Frank Sinatra, thank you very much," I said.

"New baby names! Sinatra Elvis Black!"

Jack and I just couldn't hold it in anymore, and the both of us started laughing hysterically. It was just like us to joke about things like marriage and babies. I pictured a baby dressed in Elvis clothes and just couldn't stop laughing. The fact that it wasn't funny made it that much more amusing.

When we finally got our giggles under control, Jack sighed happily. "We're such nerds."

"I know." I smiled. I was happy to be fleeing Washington with Jack. It was better than watching my dad cast disappointed glances my way, or going to the big house without getting a hug from Emmett. It felt like I was escaping my problems, and I was happy for the break.

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Jack. He was in constant worry mode ever since he found out about the baby.

"I'm great," I answered. And for the first time in what seemed like ages, it was true.

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**Ahaha... you HATE me now, don't you?**

**Review, Elvis will marry you.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Long time no read, eh?**

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I never thought that going on a road trip would be so much fun. The music was pouring out of the speakers at full volume. I was breathless from the amount of dancing I'd been doing. Jack was the perfect eloping partner.

After a few hours on the road, my cell phone rang. I looked to Jack, my eyes wide. I knew I would have to talk to my parents, I just didn't know exactly when. I wasn't all that eager to speak with them, honestly. I turned down the music.

Jack nodded at me, so I picked it up off of the center console.

"Hello?" I breathed.

"And just where do you think you're going, Axelle?" It was my dad.

"You want the truth?" I thought about lying to him for a second, but changed my mind. He'd know.

"Of course," he answered. He didn't _sound_ angry.

"Jack and I are eloping. We're driving to Vegas right now. Neither of us are really wedding people, I guess," I explained.

He stayed quiet. I held my breath waiting for his response. Jack took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Alice is not going to be happy with you," he finally replied.

"You're not mad?" I asked.

"No, I'm not mad. I _was_ hoping I could see you get married. You're my little girl, after all." He paused. "But... you two can make your own decisions. And, Axelle, I am so sorry about the way I acted last night. I was very out of line. I am happy if you are happy."

I smiled. "It's okay, dad. I understand. I'm sorry, too."

"I love you, Axelle. Have fun in Vegas. Oh, and you get to call Alice."

"Love you, too, dad." I snapped the phone shut.

"Do you feel better now?" asked Jack.

"Well, better than I did before. My dad says I still have to call Alice." I sighed. She was not going to be very happy with me.

Jack cringed. "Do you want me to do it? I don't want her to yell at you. You don't need any of that."

I shook my head. "No, Jack. I can do it."

I didn't wait to call. I knew that if I put it off, I wouldn't end up doing it. I had to do it fast, just like a band-aid.

"Suit yourself," he sighed.

I dialed the big house.

"Hello?" someone answered. It wasn't Alice.

"Emmett?" I asked, surprised.

"Axelle," he said formally.

"Emmett, don't you scare me like that! Don't run away again! I was worried sick. Please, Emmett, don't," I pleaded.

"You had someone you wanted to talk to?" He ignored me.

"Emmett, quit acting like a baby. Tell me why you ran." My heart was pounding in my chest. Emmett was my best friend, and when he left, I was devastated. I would not let him run again.

"You're pregnant," he answered. "Here's Alice."

"Wait!" I exclaimed. Jack eyed me cautiously. He rubbed soothing circles on the back of my hand.

"Too late," said Alice. She'd taken the phone from him.

I sighed. "Tell him I love him."

"I will. Now who do you want to talk to? What time are you coming over? We have so much to do!" she exclaimed.

"I won't be coming over today," I said quickly.

"Yes, you will be. I need you here. We have to check your dress, and go over the dinner, and look at the inv-"

"Alice, Alice, stop. I will not be going over today because Jack and I are eloping."

I heard her catch her breath. She didn't speak. Jack kissed my hand to calm me down.

"But... Emmett and Rosalie aren't having another wedding until they move! Your dress was perfect! Axelle..." she whined.

"I'm sorry, Alice. It's what I want to do," I said, my voice gaining strength. I expected her to yell at me. It was a little shocking when she didn't.

"Fine," she sighed. "Maybe you'll want to be really married later," she growled. The line went dead.

I dropped the phone into my lap. "That was much easier than I thought it'd be."

"I'm just happy she didn't yell at you," said Jack, relieved.

I reached for the volume and turned it loud enough so it would be awkward to talk. I didn't want him to bring Emmett up. I wanted to have a great time, and thinking about things that made me sad didn't make for an amazing day.

About an hour later, I fell asleep. Driving always made me somewhat drowsy.

I was disoriented when Jack woke me up. A light shone in my window, hurting my eyes. I was groggy and sluggish.

"We're here, love," he whispered.

I rubbed my eyes, and peeked out the window. We were at one of the hotels on the strip. There was a huge overhang, and cars were parked all along it. We were in the valet lane.

I yawned, and climbed out of the car. "What hotel are we at?"

"Treasure Island," answered Jack. He had his suitcase in one hand, and mine in the other. He led the way to the lobby.

"Arr," I murmured.

Jack laughed.

When the doors opened, I was bombarded by the clinking sound of slots. It smelled like new car and smoke at the same time. Jack led the way to check-in, and I followed. I'd never been to Vegas before.

While Jack got us a room, I looked around. All of the decorations made me laugh. Whoever chose them certainly must have had a ball. If I had a chance to decorate an entire hotel to look like a pirate ship, I would have had the time of my life.

"This way," said Jack, interrupting my pirate thoughts.

"Aye, me hearty," I answered.

I followed him to a set of elevators. "What floor are we on?" I asked.

"The thirty-fourth," he answered.

The doors opened, and we stepped in. There were thirty-six floors in the hotel according to the buttons.

I smiled. "I'm excited."

Jack set the bags down and stepped towards me. "Me too." He took my face in his hands, and pressed his lips to mine. His hands slid down my face, my neck, my arms, and came to rest on my hips. He pulled me in closer. I slipped my hands under his shirt. His sculpted torso was warm, as always.

The bell that sounded our arrival on our floor dinged, but we didn't part. It wasn't until that we heard someone clear their throat that we separated, giggling slightly, and got out of the elevator.

The man standing there cocked an eyebrow, and swept past us to get into the elevator. Jack turned left and strode down the hallway.

"You hooligan," I laughed.

"I just can't help it," he sighed dramatically.

"I don't blame you. I _am_ attractive," I said sarcastically.

He stopped at the end of the hall, and grabbed the key out of his pocket. He swept it through the door, and twisted the handle. He pushed the door open and flipped the light on.

The room was huge. From the entryway, I could see two doorways leading to other rooms. There was a mini kitchen to my right.

"Wow, Jack. Talk about swanky!" I exclaimed.

"I thought it should be special." He shrugged. He dropped the bags on the ground.

"Thank you for doing this," I sighed happily.

"Anything for you, love," he answered.

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**Review, my Incredibles cup will overflow with diet coke...**

**I'm feeling selfish. :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**It's been a long, long tiiiiime! Ah, I love Harry James.**

**But we're not talking about that... Sorry I haven't updated in a long time... I'm lazy, I suppose.**

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"And what are our options?" I asked.

We were at one of hundreds of wedding chapels. We wanted to be married quick, and without any kind of pressure. Alice planned on having our real wedding ceremony to last at least thirty minutes. We wanted this one to last about ten.

We didn't even waste any time before getting to the chapel. We put our things in the hotel, and then headed straight to get married.

The woman behind the counter was wearing orange lipstick that matched her hair. Her blue dress clung to her tightly. She looked to be about fifty. "Well, you have Elvis, of course. We could also get Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Chuck Berry, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie... really, anyone you can think of," said the lady behind the counter.

Jack and I were trying to decide who we wanted to perform our actual ceremony. We wanted it to be tacky, funny, and something we could tell the baby when it was older.

I looked at Jack, trying not to smile. If I started laughing, I knew I would never stop.

"I think Frank Sinatra would be good, don't you?" I asked.

He nodded. He was biting his lower lip, and trying not to burst out in hysterical laughs.

"Great!" exclaimed the lady. "Our Frank has been dying for a wedding all day! Now, do you want any fancy clothes? We have a selection for you to choose from if you would like."

I tried not to cringe. The clothes had probably been worn by many, many people before us.

"No, thanks. We just want to be quick about this," I said.

"Suit yourself! Now, follow me." She scuttled out from behind the counter in heels that looked about three inches too tall. It was a wonder she didn't topple over.

I took Jack's hand and tried to pull him along. He didn't move an inch.

"Come on, Jack," I said.

I was ready to be married by Frank Sinatra! Sure, it was only an impersonator, but I was okay with that, too. As long as I was getting married somewhere without any pressures, I was happy.

"Axelle, I don't know if I can do this," he whispered.

"Of course you can do this," I laughed. When I turned around and looked at his face, my laughs stopped short. The look on his face was not one of humor, or anything fun. He looked sick.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I felt a lump build in my throat.

"Come, come now! Let's get on with the show!" exclaimed the orange-haired lady.

"There's a change of plans. We're not getting married today," said Jack mechanically.

He pulled me out the door, and into the car. Once the doors were closed, I spoke.

"Jack, what's going on? Why aren't we in there having a song sung to us by fake Frank Sinatra?" I asked.

He pulled out of the parking lot and screeched towards the hotel. He didn't answer.

"Jack, please!" I exclaimed.

"I am eighteen. You are eighteen. We are young adults," he murmured.

"Young adults who went and got pregnant! I think you ought to at least be able to handle marriage before you can handle a _child_," I argued.

"So now you think I can't handle a child?" He asked, his voice rising in volume.

"I didn't say that! I said you should be able to! I mean, why did you even ask if you didn't mean it! I am ready to be married, Jack! I don't care about how young we are, or about my family, or even about the stupid Volturi. I want to be with you!" I yelled.

"_I_ care about how young we are! _I_ care about your family, and _I _care about the goddamn Volturi! I just don't know if I'm ready to get married now, Axelle. When I asked you, nothing was going on. There were no threats from the Volturi, there wasn't a baby, and your uncle didn't hate you!"

"So you're saying that my life is too complicated for you to be a part of?"

"No, there are just so many things going on, I can't even focus anymore! And then there's the whole werewolf versus vampire thing! I'm sick of it!"

Tears sprung to my eyes. I turned my face to the window. "I'm sorry I was raised by vampires. I'm sorry the Volturi want to change me. I'm sorry I got pregnant. I'm sorry, okay?"

He didn't answer.

When we got to the hotel, he was infuriatingly polite. He opened all the doors for me, he made sure there was nobody in my way, he did everything. He knew that would eat at me. If he was nice, I'd have nothing to be angry at.

I got in bed almost as soon as we walked in the door. I didn't feel like being awake, and I was starting to feel a little dizzy.

I heard the door to the room open again a few minutes later.

"Where are you going?" I asked. Yes, I was mad at Jack, but I didn't want him to go anywhere.

"Out," he answered curtly.

The door slammed.

I sighed. This morning, after the whole sickness thing, everything was going great. I was happy.

Now, it seemed like a whole different time. Jack was angry for some reason that I couldn't quite understand. Emmett was angry at me because I was pregnant. Alice was angry at me for ditching my own wedding. It seemed like I was losing friends by the second. I was just waiting for my mom to call me and tell me that she was mad I forgot to put my jeans in the dryer, or something.

I didn't even know how to make it up to any of them. Jack was angry at everything, so I didn't even know where to begin there. Emmett was mad that I was pregnant, and there was definitely nothing I would do about that. Alice wanted a wedding, and with Jack angry at me, that was even more out of the question than it was when Jack and I decided to elope. I was just stuck.

My cell phone rang then, interrupting my self-pity.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hi, Axelle. I... I have something to tell you." It was Carlisle.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, being a vampire helps me in a lot of ways. In your case, it helped me see your pictures from the ultrasound this morning. Usually, we don't know this... this early, but..." he hesitated.

"What, what is it?" I asked. If there was something wrong with my baby I wanted to know it as soon as possible.

"Axelle, you're having twins."

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**Review, Jack won't burst into a crazy wolf at you.**


	27. Chapter 27

**All I can say is I'm sorry. :)**

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"T-two babies? Are you sure?" I asked. That was impossible, just impossible.

"Yes, Axelle," answered Carlisle.

"Do you know if they're boys or girls?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"There's a boy and a girl."

"Oh," I breathed.

"Now, do you need anything, or would you like to get back to your _honeymoon_?" There was such a sly undertone to his voice, I just had to laugh.

It was only a small laugh, though. The situation was just a little too serious to laugh about.

"Do you think you can get Emmett to talk to me? Tell him it's very important." If anyone could get Emmett to talk to me, it was Carlisle.

"I can," he answered.

A second later, I heard Emmett protesting on the other end of the phone.

"Fine, fine, fine," he snapped at Carlisle. "Hello?"

"Emmett, I need you to be here right now. Please, Emmett," I pleaded.

"What happened?" he asked seriously.

"Just get here. I would really like to have my best friend now," I said.

He knew by the tone of my voice that I wasn't joking. "I'll be there in three hours. Where are you?"

"Treasure Island," I answered.

"I can find you from there." The phone went dead, and I put it back on the end table.

While I was waiting, I thought about my babies. _Plural_. There were _two_ of them. It was hard, almost impossible to believe. When I got pregnant, I sure did it with a bang.

For as long as I could remember, I wanted to have one boy, and one girl. I had the names, Allegra and Ansel, so that part was already decided. I didn't know where we would live. I didn't want to take up room at the big house, and I _really_ didn't want to live with my parents. That'd be beyond strange considering that just a few months ago all I worried about while I was in that house was was what Mr. Carlson was going to assign for homework, and not about _babies_. I just couldn't live there.

And then I remembered what Jack had said about a house. Oh sure, we _had_ one, but Jack wouldn't tell me anything about it. I knew that it was near the big house, and that was about it. He didn't tell me how big it was, or even where he got it.

I watched the minutes tick by slowly. I didn't want to move. There was no resting period in my life. Everything happed at a constant, fast pace. There was no time to just sit back, and relax. Although, I wasn't very relaxed at all, even just lying there. I waited for Jack to come back the entire time I was waiting for Emmett, but he didn't. I didn't know where he could have gone. He wasn't old enough to gamble, even though he looked like he was. Maybe he was just going to risk getting caught. He could take care of himself.

When the door opened, I assumed it was Jack. He was the only one who had a key to the room, and I still had an hour before Emmett arrived.

"Why did you leave?" I asked. I didn't tear my eyes off of the clock.

"I'm sorry, Axy." It was Emmett.

"Emmett! You're early! You must have driven like a fiend!" I cried. I sat up, and held my arms out for a hug. It had only been two hours.

He scooped me up, and hugged me as tightly as he could without hurting me.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

He placed me back on the bed, and climbed beside me. He put his arm around me, and pulled me into his chest.

"I didn't mean for you to be upset," I murmured. I wrapped my arms around as much of him as I could.

"I'm an idiot, Axy. I was just a little angry, and I shouldn't have run away from you like that," said Emmett, hugging me tighter.

"I don't blame you," I sighed. "You warned me about what would happen, but I didn't listen to you."

He chuckled. "It's over now. So why did you need me here so urgently?"

I took a deep breath. I knew that Emmett could overreact sometimes, and I didn't want him to be angry again, especially at Jack.

"Axelle," he prompted impatiently.

"I'm not getting married."

"Why not?" He was terrible at hiding his happiness. He was really looking forward to being the best man, and I imagined that he didn't take the news of my Vegas wedding lightly.

"Jack... left," I whispered.

Emmett was instantly serious. "Left?" he asked. His voice was low, frightening.

I nodded.

"Axelle, I need to go find someone really quick, can you get up?" he asked.

"No, Emmett! I didn't call you so you could beat up my fiancée. I called because I needed my best friend with me."

"Okay." He didn't move, but I could tell he was still seething.

"Emmett, it's probably just jitters. I was lonely, and that's why I called you. I swear," I insisted. "He's going through a lot right now, and I understand it. I wish you would too."

He took a deep breath. "Okay, Axy. I wont go kill him. I'm beyond pissed right now, though. I don't think you even understand."

"Just don't be dumb," I warned. I couldn't help the yawn that escaped at that point. I'd had a long day.

"Just go to sleep," said Emmett. He pulled me in tighter. His chest certainly wasn't the comfiest thing in the world, but I was perfectly happy. I drifted to sleep easily.

It seemed like I heard the door slam against the wall only seconds after I went to sleep. Emmett sat up, and took me with him.

"Axelle!" called Jack.

"I'm in here," I said sleepily.

Jack entered the bedroom, and his jaw dropped.

"So, so, so this is what you do when I leave? You _sleep_ with your uncle? What the hell kinda thing is that to do?" he slurred.

"Emmett, leave right now," I commanded.

"No, Axel-"

"Leave!" I yelled. "And get far away from here. Just get out. Don't breathe a word of this to anyone, do you hear. Get. Out. Don't even think about listening at the door. Take the stairs."

Emmett did as he was told, no questions asked. Nobody had the right to see Jack as he was.

"Axelle, you _cheated_ on me?" he asked.

"Jack, come here. Now," I added.

"No goddamn way!" he yelled. "That guy was in here, and you two were in the bed! I think I know where that leads."

"Grow up! He's my uncle!"

"And you're a cheater," he said. I was surprised he didn't stick out his tongue. I tried not to picture how vile it would be to be in bed with my uncle.

"Come here!" I yelled, pointing to the bed.

"Fine." He sat next to me. "Wha-at is it?"

He reeked of liquor. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Only one or two... bottles. I can hold a _lot_, you know. It all burns off so quickly! You know, you look a hell of a lot like someone I know." He looked at me, an eyebrow raised. "I just don't know who!"

"Where did you go?" I asked. I ignored the fact that he couldn't even _recognize_ me.

"Back to La Push! You, you know that girl? The first one? Well, I saw her again! She was so-o-o happy to see me. You have _no_ idea, man." Jack's words cut me like a knife. The girl in La Push must have been the one he lost his virginity to.

"And... And what did you do with the girl from La Push?" I whispered.

"Oh, ho, ho! You know!" he said, elbowing me in the side. "She was so _good _at it, too!"

I couldn't breathe. There was no way, no possible way, that Jack could have cheated on me. He we mine forever, not some hussy's that lives in La Push. _Mine_.

"Hey, who was that guy in here earlier? He was huge!" With those last words, Jack passed right out.

I looked at him, all drunk and sleeping. I'd never seen that side of him before. I didn't know what would spur him to act the way he did, but I wasn't certain I wanted to stick around to find out.

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**Review, you will NOT be visited by a blubbering drunk named Jack... Well, Jack Black, at least. Now, Jack Sparrow... we-ell... :D**


	28. Chapter 28

I didn't sleep a wink. I watched Jack sleep for awhile, and then turned to look at the clock. Jack mumbled a few times, and was pretty restless, but he didn't wake up. I wasn't surprised.

I tried, but I couldn't force myself to drift off. Every time I got close, my heart would start pounding, and my eyes would fly open. I was very anxious. I didn't want Jack to leave again, and I thought that if I fell asleep, he'd go.

When the red numbers on the clock flashed six o'clock in the morning, I started to feel sick. I heaved myself out of bed, and headed towards the bathroom. I was sluggish with exhaustion. Going without sleep was getting harder as the days ticked by.

Just seconds after the retching started, I felt the hair being pulled out of my face. Jack was there, and he was acting like nothing had happened. I couldn't even tell him to get out and leave me alone. I was too busy being sick to even think straight.

When I was finally done, I sighed and sank to the ground. I put my face on the cool, stone tile. Jack lifted me with his warm arms, and carried me back to the bed.

"Why would you do that?" I whispered as Jack set me on the bed. I turned on my side, making sure I wasn't looking at him.

He laid down beside me, and snaked his arm around my waist. I didn't even bother to wriggle away. I was much too tired.

"Jack, why?" I asked again weakly.

He buried his face into my hair. It was awhile before he said anything.

"I'm so sorry, Axelle," he murmured. "So, so, so sorry."

I shook my head. "That's not what I asked."

"I know. I just don't know how to answer," he admitted.

"Try," I breathed. I was starting to get very drowsy. I was going to fall asleep, I knew it.

"I was nervous, Axelle! I want to be with you forever, trust me on that. It's just, while we were in that chapel, I started to think about everything. You know, about the babies, the Volturi, about how you only _know_ vampires, and it scared me. I _do_ love you, Axelle... more than you can even begin to comprehend. I never want to see Melinda again, I assure you." I assumed Melinda was the stupid La Push girl. "I guess I was worried about how many ways I could screw up all of those things for you.

"I could be a terrible father to the babies. What kind of child is safe around a man that can change into a _wolf_ at any moment? And the Volturi could find out about us, and not even give you the option to be a vampire. They could just _kill_ you. And we already know how much stress I put on your family because of the whole werewolf thing," he explained.

"When I ran off earlier, I had no intention of... getting back with her. Melinda was a part of my past that I didn't care to revisit at all. And then I started to drink, just because of all the stress. I drank a lot, and I'm so sorry. I know I'm not supposed to... but I did. I used to drink quite a bit, unfortunately. I can usually stop myself, though. And then I ran back to La Push, just to see how the old gang was doing. I left that high school because I had some very... unhealthy friends. I saw Melinda, and I don't know what came over me. Only minutes after saying hello, we were in her bed."

I flinched, and gulped. I felt sick all over again. "Just stop," I whispered.

"Dammit, I'm such an ass!" he yelled. "I'm sorry, Axelle. I love you so much."

The tears started falling down my cheeks. "I'm sorry, too, Jack."

He shuddered slightly. "Go to sleep, Axelle," he said.

He didn't have to tell me twice. In just minutes, I was fast asleep. The way I was acting, I'd soon be sleeping during the day and be up during the night.

The nightmare I had terrified me.

I was sitting in the living room of the big house. I had a big pregnant belly, and I was all alone. I wasn't doing anything, just sitting there. I felt the babies kick.

I was startled when Emmett and Jack hurtled into the room from outside. Both of them were visibly upset.

"If you didn't go around getting Axelle all pregnant, we wouldn't be having this problem!" roared Emmett.

"If you didn't go around acting like a stubborn little child, Axelle wouldn't have to worry about you all the time!" yelled Jack.

"Guys, what the hell are you talking about?" I asked.

Neither of them looked at me. Emmett shifted into a crouch, and growled loudly. Jack did the same.

"Stop!" I shrieked.

It was too late. They lunged at each other, and I couldn't look away. They were _destroying_ each other. Jack hadn't even phased, but he was doing just as much damage to Emmett as Emmett was to him.

I screamed myself awake.

"Axelle!" It was Emmett.

I sat up and looked around. I wasn't at the nice hotel room in Vegas anymore. I was on the couch in Emmett's room, and Jack was nowhere to be found. Emmett was sitting on the ground next to me.

"Emmett, what happened?" I gasped.

"Why did you scream? Are you hurt?" asked Emmett, ignoring me.

"Bad dream," I answered. "Why am I here?"

"Jack brought you here. He didn't think that you wanted to see him when you woke up, so he dropped you off. He knows that you are not his biggest fan at the moment," explained Emmett.

"Oh," I murmured. I couldn't help but think about what he could be doing out there... alone... in La Push. I hoped he was true to his word, and didn't want to be with Melinda. I didn't even know that he had a bad side. I had no idea that he used to be a drinker, or that he left La Push because his friends weren't very... good influences.

Not to mention I had something very important to tell him about out _babies_. He didn't even know there were two of them yet.

"He came in holding you. If he hadn't been, I would have ripped his face off."

"What did you say to him?"

"Just, uhm, that if he hadn't gotten you pregnant, we wouldn't be having any problems," he admitted sheepishly.

"Then he called you childish, right?"

Emmett nodded.

I sighed. "That's what my dream was about. I must have heard you guys talking while I was asleep. I'm just glad you didn't hurt him. Please don't do anything, Emmett."

He didn't look at me. "I'm not going to make any promises."

"If you hurt him, I swear, Emmett," I warned. "I will never, ever talk to you again. _Ever_." I glared at him.

"He said that you should call him once you wake up."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"About three in the afternoon," he answered.

I held out my hand for his phone. I quickly dialed Jack's number.

"Hello?" Jack picked it up before it even rang.

"Hi," I said.

"Axelle... We need to talk."

After hours and hours of watching old movies, new movies, and TV shows, I knew that "we need to talk" was something that you never wanted to hear out of someone you were in a relationship with. I prepared myself for the worst.

* * *

**HA, man. Okay, you guys... I have an AWESOME idea for another story in this series... but I need to know if you guys will read it. I mean, if I continue on with this series, it'll... it'll be a very long series. So what do you think? Should I stop after Catch the Wind, or add ONE MORE to the set? Let me know...**

**Review, I need to know what you guys think...**

**I think that's the worst review comment I've ever done...**


	29. Chapter 29

A half hour after the phone conversation, I was at Jack's house. We were in his room. I sat on the bed, and he sat on the floor. I didn't want him to touch me.

"Axelle, I just... I," he stammered, trying to start the conversation.

"Jack, we're having twins," I said, interrupting his stuttering.

His jaw dropped. "Twins?"

I nodded. "A boy and a girl."

"And when did you find out?" he asked.

"Yesterday," I said quietly.

"And you didn't even tell me?"

"You were _drunk_!" I threw my arms into the air.

"That doesn't change anything!" he exclaimed.

"Are you kidding? That changes everything! Do you know what it felt like when you told me what you did? Do you?" I yelled. Hot tears fell down my cheeks. "Imagine being stabbed in the heart, Jack."

He looked tortured. "Axelle, I didn't mea-"

"I don't care if you didn't mean it! You slept with her anyway!"

He climbed next to me on the bed. When he put his arms around me, I wriggled away.

He put his hands in his lap and looked at me seriously.

"I wanted to talk to you because I need to know what you want me to do. I never, ever want to leave you. If I wasn't totally intoxicated, I wouldn't have even thought about Melinda. When werewolves get drunk, it affects our judgment more than it would when a normal person drinks. It screws with our brain, Axelle. If I had any control over what I was doing, I wouldn't have slept with her, I swear," he explained.

I sighed, and waited for him to continue.

"I'll do what ever you want me to do, Axelle. If you don't want to see me anymore then... then I'll leave. If you want me to turn myself in to the Volturi, I'll do that, too. Hell, I'll let Emmett win every single game we play against each other if that's what makes you happy." I knew that losing to Emmett would be giving up _a lot_ for Jack.

"Well, I don't want you to leave," I murmured.

He gave an audible sigh of relief. "What do I need to do?" he asked quickly.

I was quiet because, honestly, I had no idea. I hated the thought of being away from him for any period of time. I got anxious even when he ran out to get some food, or to run around like a wolf.

"Axelle?" he pressed.

"Can you... can you _promise_ me that you will never, ever, ever talk to Melinda again?"

"I just need to call her right now, then," he said, reaching for his cell phone.

Before I could protest, he put it on speaker phone.

"Hello?" answered who must have been Melinda.

"It's Jack."

"Oh, hey," she said.

"I just called to say, well... I'm never going to talk to you again."

I cringed, but couldn't help smiling.

"But, Jack! Why?" she whined.

Jack gestured to the phone. He really _wasn't_ going to talk to her again.

"He's kind of taken," I answered.

"Who are _you_?" she spat.

"Oh, just the love of his life, is all."

Jack snapped the phone shut and grinned.

"Talk about harsh! We suck," I laughed.

"Oh, I'm sure she can handle it."

* * *

After that, the months flew by quickly. It seemed my stomach grew larger and larger everyday. Jack and I were back on track in the relationship department, to say the least. We got married in a very small ceremony. Only our families were there, and it wasn't even formal. Jack showed no sign of ever returning to his old life in La Push, and everything seemed to be going great.

At seven months pregnant, I was as big as a house. Walking up and down stairs had become the worst part of my day. It was just ahead of not being able to sleep on my stomach. Before I was pregnant, the only way I slept was on my stomach... but not anymore. I mean, what kind of person would want _squished_ babies?

"Sometimes I just can't help but blame you for making me like this," I said one day at the big house. Emmett and Jack were having _another_ Mario Kart showdown, and that left me lounging on the couch. I spent the majority of my time lounging. And when I wasn't doing that, I was eating. It was a rather dull lifestyle. We were the only ones at home, for the three of us got a little... boring sometimes.

"Sorry, babe. It _is_ kind of my fault, I guess," said Jack, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. He was frantically pushing buttons on his controller.

"Axy, you better name one of those babies Emmett. You could name the girl Emmettly," Emmett said.

"Are you serious, Unc? _Emmettly_?" I laughed. "I'd rather name her _Brunhilda _than Emmettly."

"There's no way I'm naming any baby of mine after you! You're a cheater!" exclaimed Jack.

"_Everyone_ knows about that shortcut," noted Emmett, pointing to the TV.

I shook my head, and turned my gaze to the ceiling. Jack and I hadn't discussed names since the day Emmett had left me in the forest.

"Are we still going to go with Allegra and Ansel?" I asked.

"Of course," said Jack.

"You suck," muttered Emmett.

Halfway through their tournament, my stomach growled. Jack paused the game as soon as he heard it and turned to me.

"What are you hungry for?" he asked.

"Aww, seriously, dude?" groaned Emmett.

I ignored Emmett. "I could really go for a... a chocolate covered apricot right now," I said, rubbing my stomach.

Jack looked at me, absolutely bewildered. "Really?"

I grinned sheepishly. "Really."

"Be back in a few minutes. If you take that game off pause, Emmett, I wont hesitate to thump you." With that, Jack walked out of the room.

"You and your weird food," sighed Emmett.

"Yum," I hummed.

"You're so annoying," laughed Emmett.

"_I'm_ annoying? Look who's talking!" I exclaimed.

"Well, excuse me! I didn't think I was annoying at all," said Emmett defiantly.

"Then you must be crazy, too!"

"You're just jealous," sniffed Emmett.

"Damn, how'd you know! You can see right through me, Emmett."

"I'm that way," he said.

I giggled. We went on teasing each other until Jack came back with my apricot. I dug in happily, glad that there was _one_ place in town that had what I wanted. I couldn't go out and about, what with the whole dropping out of high school because I was pregnant thing. I hadn't been out and about in ages, and I assumed that everyone had forgotten about Jack and I. Jack saw people around town sometimes, but he didn't acknowledge them.

I wasn't even allowed to go in public. I knew that the rumors had spread by now, so I thought that was ridiculous. It was Forks, and at least one person must have seen me going into and out of the hospital for my check-ups. It was obvious that I was either very pregnant, or very obese. Pregnant was the conclusion that everyone would jump to. Jack didn't want my "reputation tarnished," though, and just wouldn't let me out of the house.

Just as Emmett gave a shout of triumph at winning the Mario Kart game, I felt something happen that I knew was _not_ supposed to happen yet.

"Oh, shit," I breathed. "My water broke."

Jack sprung off of the ground and started pacing. "Oh God, oh my God. What are we going to do. That is not supposed to happen yet! Oh," he said, running his hands through his hair.

"How about you take me to the hospital?" I suggested. My heart was racing in my chest. I wasn't ready to have the babies yet.

Jack and I had packed three bags to take to the hospital. One for the big house, one for my house, and one for his house. He still _refused_ to take me to the house he accidentally told me about in Italy! He said that once the babies were born, he'd show me. I was itching to see what it looked like, but I knew I'd get hopelessly lost if I ever tried to look by myself.

Jack slung the big house bag over his shoulder, picked me up, and sprinted to the car. Emmett was right behind him. I sat in the passenger seat, Jack drove, and Emmett sat in back.

"Should you start... breathing or something?" asked Emmett, wringing his hands.

"I don't think I'm in labor yet," I answered uncertainly. I had _no idea_ what having a baby felt like, and I was just as in the dark about it as Jack and Emmett.

Jack was on the phone as he flew down the soaked streets toward the hospital. He called everyone, including Carlisle, before we got there. Thankfully, Carlisle was working that day. He was going to be the one to deliver the babies.

Jack and I had decided to have the babies delivered via cesarean. According to Carlisle, it was the safest way for the babies and me.

"Should you... I don't know, recline your seat?" asked Emmett.

"How the hell am I supposed to know!" I snapped. I wasn't exactly thrilled that the babies might come earlier than planned.

When we pulled into the hospital parking lot, the entire family, minus Carlisle, was standing at the door waiting for us. Jack parked, got out, and rushed to help me out.

When he opened the door, I took a deep breath. I had a feeling these babies were coming soon to a nursery near me.

* * *

**Ahaha, MAN! I really do suck with all these cliffies, eh?**

**So, most of you said that you would, in fact, read another story in this series. One or two of you said no, but I'm going to go with the majority on this one. :)**

**Review, BABIES WILL COME TO A THEATER NEAR YOOOU!**


	30. Chapter 30

Everyone jammed into the hospital room while we waited for Carlisle. He had _another_ delivery that he was right in the middle of before we came. All he had time to do was shove an IV into my arm, and start me on some sort of drug. I started feeling a little fuzzy as soon as he put it in. He told me it was to calm me down.

It worked.

Bella was on my right side, clinging to my hands. "Oh, I wish I knew what to do!" she cried. "Are you hungry, thirsty, tired, anything?"

I shook my head. "Nope! I'm peachy."

"It's going to be fine," crooned my dad, pushing my hair out of my face. He kissed my forehead.

"I reckon so!" I exclaimed, then frowned. What kind of person said "I reckon so" in a normal conversation? The drugs must have been getting to me.

Jack was at the foot of the bed, clutching at the railing. He was looking at my stomach, a worried look on his face. He was dressed in green scrubs.

"You look so silly," I said.

He smiled and squeezed my leg. "_I _look silly?"

"_You_ better hush your face!" I retorted, then, once again, frowned. What kind of adult said "hush your face" to another adult?

Emmett paced the length of my bed muttering things to fast for me to understand. He stopped, and looked at Esme. "You realize you're going to be a great-grandma?" he asked.

Esme was standing by the door, waiting for Carlisle. "And do you know you're going to be a great-uncle?" she replied.

"Oh... damn," he murmured, and went back to his pacing.

"I'm going to be a grandma!" squealed my mom. "I'm not even that old!"

"Yeah, okay," said Jasper sarcastically. "You're not old at all." He grinned.

"Look who's talking!" exclaimed Bella.

Rosalie stood in the corner, completely silent.

"You're hair is pretty today, Rose," I noted. It was _always _best to start a conversation with Rosalie off with a compliment. Always.

"Thanks, Axelle." Her voice lacked its usual biting tone. I had to remember to ask her what was wrong.

"He's coming!" exclaimed Esme, opening the door. Carlisle strode in, and I laughed hysterically. It had to be the drugs, but it was like he was some kind of superhero. I wondered where his cape was, or his trusty sidekick. I assumed the sidekick was off doing things like Carlisle dry cleaning, and washing his car. You know, the usual sidekick duties.

"I'm here," he said officially, making me giggle even harder.

"And where is your utility belt?" I asked seriously.

Everyone ignored me, and focused their gaze on Carlisle.

"Okay, Axelle. We're going to wheel you down the hall, and only Jack is allowed to come. Twins almost always come early, there's no need to fret. I'm sure they'll be two happy and healthy babies," he said.

I nodded, and resisted the urge to tell him that I reckoned they _would_ be healthy babies.

A nurse came in to help Carlisle wheel me down the hall. "There you are!" I exclaimed as they pushed me out the door. "Have you finished the dry cleaning?"

Jack walked next to the bed. "Are you okay, Axelle?"

"Oh, I'm great. Everything is all gravy with me," I sighed.

I heard everyone saying that they loved me as I was pushed through a set of two doors. I closed my eyes after that, for the lights on the ceiling were blinding.

I vaguely remember Carlisle asking for a vial of some kind of medicine, and then my entire lower body went numb.

Jack grabbed my hand, and I opened my eyes. "What's going on down there?" I asked loudly, glaring at the surgical screen they had above my stomach.

Jack glanced over the curtain. I kind of wanted to watch, but I knew that throwing up while having babies taken out of my body probably wouldn't be a good thing.

"Carlisle just cut you," he answered, returning his gaze to my face.

"That jerk," I muttered.

Carlisle laughed, despite the babies he was extracting from my womb.

"Hush up, you clown!" I exclaimed.

I couldn't feel a single thing the whole time. I heard a strange noise after a few minutes, and of course, asked Jack to tell me what it was.

"Now you're all stapled up!" exclaimed Jack.

"Jack, you need to go to the nursery with the babies," said Carlisle. "And you can have this, Axelle." I saw him shoot something into my IV bag, and I fell asleep right away.

It was, quite possibly, the shortest sleep I'd ever had. I woke up in an entirely different room, and there was nobody there with me. I still felt... strange, to say the least. I had a feeling I'd be drugged for awhile, what with the whole I just got cut open thing.

"Hello!" I called. "Hello!"

Nobody came.

"Is there anybody out there?" I called again. My voice was weak. "Does anybody know where anyone is? Fa-a-amly," I sang.

The door opened, and I was relieved to see Jack. "We're right here," he whispered. He had a small bundle of blankets in each of his arms.

"Oh," I breathed. I leaned back and opened my arms.

He placed a baby on each side.

"Allegra, Ansel, meet your mommy," he whispered.

Ansel was on my right, and Allegra was on my left. They had their dad's jet black hair, and my pale skin and blue eyes. They looked at me, their eyes transfixed on my face.

"Hi, Allegra. Hi, Ansel," I murmured.

Jack sat next to me on the bed, and gazed at the babies in my arms. "Middle names?" he asked.

"What do you think?"

"Hmm... what was the thing that brought us together?"

I thought back to when we first met each other. It seemed like an eternity ago. I remembered one day after school, Jack came over to my house. I showed him the music collection. He just about keeled over when I showed him all of our records.

"40s music, swing dancing, old things?"

"Works for me."

"Allegra... Ava Black?"

"From Ava Gardner. Nice choice. I like it," muttered Jack. "What about Ansel?"

"You come up with that one," I said.

"Ansel Astaire Black," said Jack without pausing to think.

"You've thought about this before, haven't you?" I giggled.

He nodded guiltily.

"Well, I like it. And now that they're born, we're going to need a place to keep them, wont we? How about you show _us_ that place you have _not_ shown me yet? We can sleep in it tonight!" I exclaimed.

"No way, love. You have to stay here for three more days!" Jack laughed.

My jaw dropped, and that made Jack laugh harder.

"I thought you knew! That's how it always is!"

"I did not know that, thank you very much!" I wanted to live in a house of my own! And for the first time during my hospital stay, I wasn't the one laughing.

* * *

**After my mom had my sister, they put her in a room then left. My dad heard her yelling HELLO from all the way down the hall.**

**I just couldn't NOT use that in my story. :D**

**Review, Carlisle and his sidekick will be super for you.**


	31. Chapter 31

The three days in the hospital passed slowly. Jack was always with me in the hospital room, no matter what. Jasper and Bella came often, at least three times a day. They loved Allegra and Ansel as soon as they saw them. Emmett also stopped by a lot, but I knew he was getting bored of coming. All you really got to do when you visited was hold a baby or two, talk quietly, and sit. Emmett hated talking quietly, and he wasn't good at sitting still for any period of time when there wasn't a video game controller in his hands.

On the second day I was there, Carlisle came in and sat on the bed. I was holding Allegra, and Jack was in the chair beside my bed holding Ansel. Allegra was a little fussy that day, and she'd cry every few minutes.

"Axelle, today you have to walk," said Carlisle.

I frowned. They had decreased my drug intake severely. There was no IV; just a pill in the morning, at lunch, and at night. I was sore where Carlisle cut me open, to say the least. I would be content to lie down until it was completely healed.

"I _have_ to?" I sighed.

He nodded.

"I'll take the baby," exclaimed Jack quickly, holding out his spare arm. As soon as he held her, she stopped all of her unsatisfied baby grumblings. She was, without a doubt, a daddy's girl. It was the same for Ansel and me. Ansel would be crying, and as soon as I held him he'd stop.

Carlisle got up, and held out his arm. I scooted as close to the end of the bed as I could, and sat up as fast as I could. I figured if I did it quick, like a band-aid, it'd hurt less. I was wrong. The pain made me gasp.

Jack stood up, both babies in his arms, and looked around for some way he could help me.

I smiled tightly. "I'm fine, Jack," I said through clenched teeth. He slowly sank into the chair again, eyes fixed on me.

"Carlisle if she falls," he warned.

Carlisle laughed. "You think I'd let her fall?"

"I'm just saying," murmured Jack.

"Come on, Axelle. Off the bed," commanded Carlisle.

I sighed, and put my feet on the floor. I reached for Carlisle's arm, and pulled myself into a standing position. I thought that the entire middle section of my body was on fire. I was quite certain that my innards would pop right out if I wasn't careful.

"Ow," I muttered.

"I'm sorry, Axelle," said Carlisle. He led me to the door slowly. I was glad that Jack and I had packed knee-high, rainbow colored socks. After all, if I was going to hobble around the halls of the hospital like a fool, I was going to do it with style... as much style as you can have when you're wearing a hospital gown.

Carlisle took me around the hospital three times before he led my back to my room. The pain had started to fade, and I was getting faster by the time I made it back to my bed. I knew that I was going to be sore for days, though.

"Are you okay?" asked Jack as soon as I sat down.

I carefully swung my legs onto the bed, and reached for Ansel. "Never better," I answered wryly.

When the third day rolled around, I started getting impatient. We were leaving around lunch time, whenever Carlisle came to okay my departure.

"When can we go?" I asked. Jack was pacing the room, quietly talking to a happy Allegra.

I had Ansel. He was playing with my hair, and I didn't want to interrupt him. Yes, it did hurt, but he was so cute in his little blue outfit, I couldn't stop him. The babies looked like each other, even though they were just fraternal. They both had the same big, blue eyes, and the same thick black hair that had a bit of curl to it.

Jack looked out the door. "Carlisle is coming right now," he said.

Jack started buckling Allegra into her newly purchased car seat.

Carlisle opened the door, and smiled. "You're free to go, Axelle. Would you like any help out?"

I shook my head. I had been walking a lot since he told me I had to, and now it only hurt if I coughed or sneezed. The first time I sneezed after the babies were born, I could have sworn I popped one of my oh so lovely stomach staples.

"You have an appointment next week to get the staples out," he said. He closed the door, and left Jack and I to get ready.

I almost got dressed by myself. I got my pants on without too much trouble, but when it came to lifting my arms above my head to put my shirt on, I froze. I was stretching the incision spot, and it hurt like crazy.

I bit my lip. I had my shirt half on, and I was just standing in the middle of the room. I heard Jack put Ansel in his car seat.

"Jack, help?" I asked.

He chuckled quietly, and came to assist me. After he pulled my shirt on, he kissed me quickly on the nose. "You're so beautiful," he murmured.

I grinned and leaned towards him. "You're not so bad yourself," I teased.

He leaned in to kiss me, but stopped when Allegra let loose a shriek. It wasn't a cry. She was just making whatever noises happened to pop out of her, and that one just ended up being a particularly loud scream.

Jack laughed, and went to pick up both of the baby carriers. He had the overnight bag slung over his shoulder.

I giggled as he walked out the door.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You look _so_ much like a dad."

When we were in the car, I told him I didn't want to go to the big house.

"Let's go to the new house, the one I haven't seen yet," I said.

He hesitated. "But..."

"Please, Jack. I just had your babies!" I exclaimed.

He laughed at the top of his lungs, and startled Allegra and Ansel. Both of them started to cry. I twisted around in my seat, and tried to calm both of them down. Ten minutes later, they finally stopped crying.

"What's taking so long?" I asked. I thought we were going to the big house, and it didn't take that long to get there.

Allegra was holding a finger on my left hand, and Ansel had one on my right.

"We're here," said Jack quietly.

I pried my fingers from their hands, and spun around. I ignored the slight pain in my torso that twisting around so fast caused.

Jack was parked in front of a huge, two-story house. It was made entirely out of gray stone, and looked like a castle. Huge windows lined the front wall.

"Oh, Jack," I breathed.

"Go look," he said. "I'll get the babies."

I opened the door, and walked to the door as if I was in a daze. I pushed it open, and gasped. The inside was just as spectacular as the outside. The round entryway was huge, and the ceiling had to be at least twenty feet high. To the right, a stairway curved against the wall, and led to the second floor. Next to the staircase was an archway.

The walls were cream colored, and the floor was pale hardwood. I drifted to the left, past the staircase, and through the archway. In that room, there was an open floor plan. The kitchen, living room, and dining room all worked together, and one room blended seamlessly into the next. The ceilings in that room were just as high as the ones in the entryway. I ran my hand along the granite counter and sighed.

"Do you like it?" asked Jack. Both of the babies fidgeted in his arms.

"I love it," I whispered.

"Wait until you see upstairs!" he exclaimed.

Upstairs there were four bedrooms, an office, a game room, and a playroom. Allegra's room was painted purple, and had blue stars all over the walls. Ansel's room had red and blue stripes on the wall. They weren't going to sleep in them for awhile, though. Jack and I both agreed that the babies should sleep in our room for the first few months.

Our room was painted a deep red, and had a plush white carpet. The bed was massive, and took up most of the room. There was an archway that led to the master bathroom, which was just as big as the bedroom.

I turned to Jack, who still cradled the babies in his arms. "Oh, Jack. This is wonderful. How'd you find it?"

"I built it. Emmett and I worked together. We told you we were off racing to Seattle, Port Angeles, and all those places, but we were really here working on the house," he admitted, grinning slightly.

I squealed happily, and grabbed Jack's face for a kiss. The babies squealed right along with me. I looked sheepishly at Jack, and took Ansel from his grasp. Having babies was going to take some serious getting used to.

* * *

**Speedy, eh? :D**

**Review, you'll live in a big giant castle house with Jack......**

**I'd do it.**


	32. Chapter 32

By the babies' two week birthday, Jack and I were exhausted. We had told our relatives that didn't need any sleep at all that we were going to take care of our children twenty-four hours a day, and we didn't need any help. We didn't want an easy way out. Being awake all the time _would_ be handy, though. That way I wouldn't be dead tired all of the time.

At about nine that night, during one of Allegra and Ansel's short periods of actual sleep, Jack and I lounged on our bed. They slept _a lot_ but woke up crying a lot, too. It was a rare event if they had two hours of sleep without waking up.

We had two bassinets right next to each other, and they were only about three feet away from the bed. We heard the babies breathing heavily, a sure sign they'd be asleep for at least a half hour.

"Jack, what are we going to do about the Volturi?" I whispered. I had my head on his chest, and his arm was wrapped around me. I hadn't thought about the Volturi in months. Even thinking about them made me nervous.

He sighed. "I have no idea, Axelle."

"I think I may just have to become a vampire." I frowned. That was the only solution I could think of that didn't involve any violence. If there was one thing I didn't want, it was for anyone in my family to be hurt. It'd be all my fault.

Jack growled quietly. "There is something else we can do. There has to be."

"You are not going to go 'kick Volturi ass' with Emmett," I warned. I knew it was something they had discussed before. When Jack was with Emmett everything was _always_ about kicking something's ass.

"No... Axelle, there's something I've not told you," he said.

My heart leaped into my throat. I already felt the tears collecting in my eyes. "I can't believe you. You said you would never talk to her again." I was having trouble keeping my voice down. I didn't want to wake the babies up.

"No, Axelle! Aww, don't cry." He tilted my head up and kissed me. "I didn't mean anything about Melinda. That's not even close. It's just that... Okay, so I imprinted on you, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, I was talking to Jake and he said that once you become someone's imprintee, you sort of... inherit, for lack of a better term, some different abilities," said Jack.

"I don't understand," I admitted.

"Well, apparently, if you are turned into a vampire you will not be hungry for blood. That gene would virtually evaporate once you are turned. It has something to do with my instinctual hate for 'bloodsuckers', according to Jacob," he explained. "That somehow gets transferred to you. There was a big long explanation, but I can't quite remember it."

"How would Jake know that?" I asked.

"For a very long time Jake was left alone. All the other werewolves had grown old and given up on their lives as wolves. There was no threat from vampires because the Cullens had moved away for awhile. He was lonely and bored, so he decided to read up on everything he could find about his heritage. That was one of the things he found out." Jack shrugged.

"So... so it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if I were changed?" I asked. I looked at his face, just so I could know exactly what he was thinking.

He wrinkled his nose slightly. "Well, I like the way you smell right now. I don't know if I could stand having sex with a vampire, quite frankly," he said bluntly. "It's hard enough being at the big house all the time."

I frowned. "Oh, I see. Then we need another plan to evade the Volturi." Sure, I didn't want any violence between the Volturi and my family, but after Jack said that he wouldn't have sex with me... that put a whole new spin on the story. We needed to do something else about the Volturi for a whole different reason.

"We have a few months before we have to worry, Axelle. Why don't we just wait and see what happens. The main guy said you could wait until your children were settled, and I think that gives us awhile. We do not have to think about this right now." He squeezed me tighter, as if that would prove his point.

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Bella and Jasper want to take the babies tomorrow," I muttered.

"For what?" he asked.

"They love those kids," I giggled.

"I don't blame them. We make pretty babies," chuckled Jack.

"I know it," I murmured. We didn't say anything else. I must have drifted to sleep at some point, because the next thing I remembered was being awakened by two crying babies. I didn't mind getting up to feed them, change them, or just entertain them. They were so cute, I wouldn't mind if they threw up right on me... which they had done. A lot.

The following morning Jack and I got Ansel and Allegra all dressed and headed towards the big house. Emmett was still kind of bored of the babies. They didn't do anything besides eat and sleep, and Emmett just wasn't that entertained with them. I couldn't wait for them to start walking, talking, _crawling_ even. I knew I was getting too eager, though. It'd be months before any of that would happen.

"Oh, the babies!" exclaimed Esme as she opened the front door. She pulled us into the house, and slipped the diaper bag off of my shoulder. She looked at both of the babies lovingly, gave each one a kiss on the forehead, and then bustled off to fix some food.

I was holding Ansel, and Jack was holding Allegra. It was snowing lightly, the first snow of the New Year. The twins had been born on December 27th, and they had only been out of the hospital a day before it was New Years Eve.

"Unc!" I called. "Come here!"

Emmett flew down the stairs and stopped right in front of us. "Hi, Allegra! Hi, Ansel!" he exclaimed. "How's being a baby?"

I rolled my eyes. "Mom and dad are going to be here soon. They're taking the babies for the day."

Just as I finished my sentence, Bella and Jasper walked through the door. Both of them were smiling.

Before even saying hi, they grabbed Allegra and Ansel. "Say bye to mommy," crooned Bella. She was holding Allegra. She strolled out the door as quickly as she could, talking to Allegra the whole time.

Jasper pulled me in with one arm and gave me a kiss on the forehead. "We'll be extra good, I promise." He looked at my face closely. "And you need some rest."

I smiled and stifled a yawn. "You have no idea."

Jack and I said bye to Jasper and then turned our attention to Emmett. He was pacing the room.

"What _is_ it?" I laughed.

"I can't decide what I want to do!" he exclaimed. "There's hardly every free time anymore!"

"Emmett, we never watched Mars Attacks!" I exclaimed. It had been almost a year since Emmett and I had attempted to watch it together, and I knew that he was really eager to finish it.

"Oh, yeah!" he shouted. "Let's go!" he ran back up the stairs.

Jack looked at me, an eyebrow raised.

"We've tried to watch this movie a million times, and I have yet to see the whole thing. I always fall asleep."

By the time Jack and I got upstairs, Emmett had set up our whole viewing area. Jack and I got the couch, and Emmett sat on the floor. The lights were off, the the first scene started.

Jack pulled me into his side tightly. His warmth and the dull glow of the TV put me to sleep almost as soon as I situated myself on the couch.

"Dammit," was the last thing I heard before I went to sleep. It was Emmett, and I had, once again, fallen asleep during Mars Attacks. It was just like old times.

* * *

Review, Sir Gawain will be victorious against the Green Knight!

He always is, if you're not familiar with Arthurian legends... Well, the whole "not honest" thing kinda bums him out and makes him FEEL like he lost... but he still won. SO I guess you don't REALLY have to review... Sir Gawain will win anyway. But still.

I'm such a nerd.


	33. Chapter 33

At three months old, Allegra and Ansel found spit bubbles to be the most entertaining thing on the whole planet. The babies were much easier to handle, and they slept through the night most of the time. We didn't want them in their own rooms, yet, but it would happen soon. Our family was taking an extended hunting trip to Canada, so we were alone for the entire weekend. Jacob and Julie were spending two weeks is Mexico.

"Ansel, no more smelly relatives for two days!" gasped Jack playfully. He tickled Ansel's sides and Ansel squirmed. Jack and I were sitting on the floor of our bedroom, and Allegra and Ansel were lying on their backs in front of us.

Ansel responded with a nice, juicy spit bubble.

Not to be outdone, Allegra blew her own bubble.

"Our children are just lovely," said Jack, wiping the remains of Ansel's bubble off of his face.

"They must have gotten this from you. I know _I_ didn't teach it to them," I replied.

"You caught me!" he exclaimed sarcastically. "How'd you guess?"

The babies seemed to be getting bigger every day. I would put them to bed one night, and I could have sworn that they were bigger the next morning. Carlisle told me they were growing at a natural rate. I found it hard to believe that a person could grow so much in such a short amount of time.

I rolled up Allegra's shirt and cocked an eyebrow at her. "You better not smile, Allegra."

She gazed up at me with her big blue eyes, almost as if to say, "You _better_ not blow on my stomach, Mommy."

I didn't listen. I blew a nice, big raspberry on her stomach. She kicked her feet and grinned widely. She couldn't actually laugh yet. She and Ansel just did the silent laugh. It was good enough for me.

The smile on her face was contagious, and I giggle. The corners of her eyes crinkled. I lifted her up and hugged her tightly. I had made the two cutest babies in the world, and I was proud of it.

Allegra rewarded me by throwing up right down my back. She was a gem, that one. I stood and headed towards the bathroom. I could hear Jack laugh. Ansel followed suit with his silent laugh.

"That's was gross, Allegra," I sighed. "You just wait, Jack. It'll happen to you in a few minutes," I called behind me.

After I cleaned Allegra and changed my shirt, I went back to the bedroom.

"And then your uncle and I tricked your mommy. We were making the house the whole time!" exclaimed Jack. He was telling a story to Ansel.

Ansel stared up at him, his eyes focused on Jack's lips. He was opening and closing his mouth. I was standing there watching them, with Allegra securely in my arms, when my phone rang.

I fished it out of my pocket while trying not to disturb Allegra.

"Hello?" I answered when I finally got it out of my pocket.

"It took me quite some time to find your personal number, my dear," answered a voice. It was a voice that I had nightmares about. It was a voice that was friendly on the outside, but had something purely evil hiding underneath. It was a voice that I never wanted to hear again.

"Aro," I breathed. My heart broke into a sprint.

Allegra, sensing my discomfort, blew a nice spit bubble on my neck.

Jack looked up at me from the floor.

"I assume you've had your babies, no? I wanted to keep that bit a surprise. I knew way back when you were with us in Italy that you were having twins! Isn't that lovely?" he asked, his voice cheerful.

"Lovely," I repeated dully.

Jack picked Ansel up and then moved towards me. He plucked Allegra from my arms, and placed the two of them in their bassinets. He was back to me in a flash.

"And I also assume that you know why I'm calling," said Aro.

I swallowed back the biting remark that was threatening to escape. Insulting the main member of the Volturi wouldn't do anything but bad things for me. Jack pulled me into his chest.

Aro continued without waiting for an answer. "You told us that you would be back after your babies are settled. Three months is plenty of time to get settled. We are expecting you here in no more than three days, Axelle. Don't keep us waiting."

"What happens if I keep you waiting?" I whispered.

"You're alone in your town now, aren't you? Nobody's there to help you. We could have five of us there in an hour. We've been watching," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice. "You have the perfect opportunity to leave right now. It would be best if you didn't bring your family into this. Things might end badly for them."

"I'll leave now," I replied.

"Good girl." The line went dead.

I dropped the phone and looked up into Jack's eyes. It was one of the only times I had ever seen him look just as terrified as I was.

"What are we going to do with the babies?" I croaked. My throat was thick with dread.

Jack closed his eyes. "They have to come with. My parents wont get here in time, and your family has their phones off." A ringing cell phone would be pretty unfortunate when you were trying to sneak up on whatever it was you wanted to eat.

"They do have to come with us then," I groaned.

Jack nodded.

"Can't you just stay here, Jack? You can take care of the babies," I pleaded. "They're just watching me. They didn't say anything about bringing you."

He shook his head. "Axelle, you know that I would never let you go by yourself. Don't even bring it up again. The babies and I will stay just outside of the city. Tell the Volturi how happy you are, and that you are deeply loyal to your family. They should know something about family loyalty, and how much it's actually worth in the long run." Jack unwound his arms from my waist, and started running his hands through his hair.

"Call the airport," I said with a slight tremor in my voice. "I'll pack."

Jack kissed my forehead, and dashed out of the room.

I had packed all three bags in ten minutes. One for me, one for Jack, and one for the twins.

The babies hadn't made a sound since Jack had put them in their beds. I was just happy that I didn't have to console a crying baby and worry about everything else at the same time.

Jack ran back into the bedroom just as I zipped the last bag.

"A plane leaves in two hours. We can make it," he said. He slung a bag over each of his shoulders and took a baby in each of his arms before he left the room again.

In the car, I gripped Jack's hand tightly. Tears trickled down my cheeks, but I remained silent. Whenever Jack looked at me, I bit my lip to keep from crying out. He was so worried, so absolutely helpless, I couldn't stand to look at him for more than a second.

"Axelle, I love you so much." He was so quiet, I had to strain to hear him. His jaw was clenched, and he was staring very intently at the road.

I opened my mouth to tell him I loved him too, but a sob escaped. I put my head in my hands and cried openly. I shuddered, and I knew that the babies would start crying soon, too.

Jack pulled over and reached for me. He undid my seatbelt and lifted me onto his lap. I chanced a look at the babies, and neither of them was crying. They just looked very, _very_ scared

I buried my face in Jack's neck and sobbed openly for what seemed like hours.

I knew that no matter how long I talked to Aro about family loyalty, or about how much I loved every singly vampire in my family, he still would change me. Jack didn't want it at all, and I knew I didn't want it. I knew that the human was killed half of the time, anyway.

I was horrified by the possibility that I might never, ever see my children or my husband again. I wouldn't be able to help Allegra with her girl problems. I would never be a soccer mom... not that anyone played soccer in Forks. I'd never see my children walk, or hear them talk.

I shuddered again.

When my tears stopped, Jack kissed me, then put me back in my seat.

"How long until we're at the airport?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Twenty minutes. We'll have just enough time to make it to the gate," said Jack. His voice lacked all emotion.

When we finally got on the plane, I knew that Jack and I looked terrible. I didn't pay attention to the comments that people were making about how much the babies would cry and how irritating it would be. I didn't pay attention to the stewardess when she started talking to us about plane safety. I didn't listen when they asked if I was comfortable.

Ansel sat on my lap, and Allegra sat in Jack's. Ansel played with my shirt.

I hugged him closer and kissed him on the head. His wisps of black hair tickled my nose.

I closed my eyes, trying to force myself not to cry again... but when Ansel blew a spit bubble in my face, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I sat there, crying silently, and clung to my baby. I knew I didn't have much time left as a human. I didn't want to let go.

* * *

**REVIEW! LANCELOT WONT BE A STUPID BUTT FACE AND KILL GAWAIN'S BROTHERS WHILE TRYING TO SAVE HIS STUPID BUTT FACE GUINEVERE!**

**Can you guess how I feel about Lancelot? Or Guinevere? OR EVEN Gawain! (YOM!)**

**Oh my... sometimes I should probably just stop xD**

**Ahem, I love Gawain...**


	34. Chapter 34

The long plane ride gave me time to calm down. I didn't think about the Volturi, or about how they'd probably end up killing me. I thought about my beautiful babies, about my Jack, about my family. I didn't want to think about anything negative, so I simply didn't.

The babies would fall asleep every once in awhile, and it gave Jack and I a chance to talk. We talked about everything. About Mario Kart, about the house, about races, family, everything. The only thing we didn't talk about was the Volturi... we'd put off talking about them for as long as we could.

I was feeding Allegra when the pilot's voice echoed through the speakers. Jack was burping Ansel.

"We will be landing in about five minutes. Please fasten your seatbelt." We were landing in a relatively small airport, so there wouldn't be any waiting time before we got off.

Just as we were told we could leave the plane, Ansel threw up on Jack.

He cringed. "I'll be out there in a second. You go ahead."

I nodded. "Love you, guys." Ansel smiled.

"Love you, too," said Jack, grinning slightly. "Bye, bye, Allegra!"

Just as I walked out of the gate, I felt a hand on the small of my back.

"That was fast, Jack," I said without turning around.

"Who is Jack?" replied the voice.

I spun around, and guiding me across the airport was the biggest man I had ever seen. He was even bigger than Emmett. His hair was cropped short. He grabbed my waist and steered me in a total different direction. Nobody in the airport even gave us a second glance.

He smirked. "Surprise!"

I clutched Allegra closer, but she was plucked out of my arms by another one. He had black hair that waved to just above his shoulders. Both he and the big man were absurdly handsome.

"I-I," I stammered. I couldn't speak.

"Just come with us," said the big one.

The man that took Allegra was looking at her curiously. She stared up at him, her blue eyes shining. She didn't cry, but she didn't look happy at all.

"Please, give her to me," I pleaded.

"Well, Demetri, should we give her the baby?" asked the big one.

"Felix, don't be an ass," replied the one named Demetri. He didn't hand her to me.

"Jack!" I called weakly. I hoped Jack heard, but I knew he probably didn't. He wasn't very quick when it came to cleaning the babies.

In response, Felix squeezed my hip. I cringed and tried not to cry. There would be a bruise there, no doubt about it.

"Ow," I breathed.

"Best not try that again," murmured Felix. Demetri shook his head.

My knees went weak and I almost fell. Felix supported all of my weight as we swept out the doors. There was a car waiting on the curb. Before they stepped out into the sun, the checked all around them. I knew what happened with vampires went into the sun, and I couldn't blame them. It'd be hard to explain to a passerby why their skin was so glittery... not that they would explain if it came down to it.

Felix pushed me into the back seat and Demetri followed. Felix hopped into the driver's seat and floored it out of the airport.

"Can I call my husband? Please?" I cried. I had to tell him _not_ to follow us. If he did, he'd be killed. There was no way, no possible way I'd let him die. He had Ansel, so he'd _have_ to stay away.

Demetri, who still held the confused Allegra, looked at me. He frowned.

"Felix, we could just take the phone if she said something dumb," he said, still looking at me.

"The boss will not be happy if he finds out," replied Felix. "And you don't want to have to deal with Jane, do you?"

Demetri cringed. "I don't, but honestly... what could she possibly say? We've got her, and there's no way her husband is going to get her. I think we're in the clear here, Felix."

Felix sighed. "Just know that_ I_ don't approve of this little plan."

Demetri nodded at me, and I dug my cell phone out of my pocket.

It rang once.

"Axelle, where are you?" answered Jack. He sounded furious.

"They have Allegra and me, Jack. Listen to me, though."

"Axelle, I swear, if th-"

"Jack, shh. Do not follow us. Do you hear me?" My voice trembled. "Keep Ansel away from here. Even if you haven't heard from me in four, five days, stay away. Please, Jack. I'm begging you."

He sighed. "I won't follow you. Axelle, I love you so much. Do you understand?" His voice was laced with absolute agony.

The lump in my throat wouldn't go away. "I love you, too." I croaked. The tears that welled in my eyes spilled over.

"I'm going to miss you," said Jack. I heard Ansel doing the silent laugh in the background, and I cried even harder.

"I'll miss you, too," I sobbed.

"Bye," he said hoarsely.

"Bye," I breathed.

I dropped the phone into my lap and buried my head in my hands. A stupid vampire was holding my baby and wouldn't give her back, I wasn't going to see Jack or Ansel again, and I couldn't do anything about it. Feeling helpless was horrible.

Demetri cleared his throat about five minutes into the drive.

I looked up through teary eyes and glared at him.

"Here," he said. His voice was deep, but I noticed a hit of pity. He held Allegra up.

I gasped happily, and took Allegra. Her hands immediately tangled in my hair. I hugged her tightly, and kissed her forehead. She did the silent laugh.

"Hi, baby! Hi!" I said, tickling her belly.

She smiled, showing all of her gums, and blew a spit bubble. I laughed despite the situation. I adjusted the bow that clung limply to her tufts of black hair.

When Demetri reached for her again, I turned away from him sharply, and held Allegra as tight as I could. I was _not_ going to let him take her away from me again.

He shook his head, but didn't keep trying to take her. I would kick, hit, bite, anything before I would let him touch Allegra again.

The next hour was quiet. I knew I couldn't escape, so I spent every moment playing with Allegra. I would do anything to make her happy. I didn't want her to notice that the men we were with were not safe. I didn't want her to notice that I was an emotional wreck. I didn't want her to know that if she cried, I'd cry right along with her.

When the walls of Volterra came into view, I shuddered. Allegra looked worried for a second, so I smiled weakly at her. She wasn't going to cry. I was determined not to let her cry.

Just minutes later, Felix stopped the car.

"Everyone out!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

I didn't get out. It wasn't until Demetri came around the car and pulled me out that I actually moved. He reached for Allegra again.

"No!" I yelled. "Don't touch her."

He clenched his jaw and rubbed his temples. "You aren't making this easy for me." He was quiet, but I knew he was infuriated.

He grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me along. Felix was already strides ahead of us. The buildings around us cast shadows in the already dark night. I felt claustrophobia creep up on me. I needed out of the walled city if I was going to maintain my sanity.

"When we get there you will not talk, you will not run, you will not do anything unless Aro says, okay?" he said. I didn't respond.

The only sounds were the occasional outbursts from Allegra, and my own footsteps.

Demetri hauled me into the lobby, where the woman named Gianna was at the front desk. I remembered her from the last time I had the misfortune to be in Italy.

"Popular, aren't we?" she said, smirking. She glared at Allegra before going back to her computer. I wanted to hit her right across the face. Sure, she'd probably end up eating me, but nobody glares at _babies_, especially when the baby is mine.

Demetri chuckled when we were out of her sight. He pushed me into the open elevator.

"What are you laughing at?" I snarled. I was angry at everyone. More than angry.

"Gianna is jealous of everyone... but a baby?" He laughed again.

I looked at him, disgust apparent all over my face. My baby was about to be right in the middle of a clan of evil vampires, and all he could do was laugh? He ignored me though, and when the elevator doors opened, he pushed me again.

The cold stone hallway looked just as it had before. I hated the stupid place, and I never wanted to be there. Allegra shivered, and I pulled her in even closer. She buried her face into my neck, where I was sure she could feel my heartbeat speeding up by the second.

When Demetri led me into the same stone room I'd been in before, I could have sworn my heart stopped.

Aro and at least fifteen other people were standing in the room. Everyone fell silent when I entered. Allegra saw everyone, and her eyes filled with tears. She started crying almost instantly. My eyes grew hot, and I knew I was going to cry, too.

"Axelle, how lovely of you to join us!" exclaimed Aro. He stepped forward, and the group moved with him. "And you brought a baby!"

I felt sick. My head spun, and if it weren't for Demetri at my elbow, I would have fallen. He waited a minute, and then stood next to Aro

Aro talked a little louder, so he could be heard over Allegra's cries. "I'm not going to beat around the bush here. You are going to be changed into a vampire. You know our secrets, and you don't want to die, do you?"

"No," I breathed. I closed my eyes.

The second I opened them, I regretted it. Demetri stepped towards me, and ripped Allegra from my arms.

"No!" I screamed. Her cries grew louder. "I love you, Allegra!"

The last thing I felt before I fainted was a sharp, excruciating pain at my wrist.

* * *

**Review, I'M SAAAAD!**


	35. Chapter 35

After I woke up, I really wished I hadn't. I didn't even have time to think before I screamed.

"Oh, good! You're awake!" exclaimed Aro. His voice sounded far away, as if he were speaking to me from another room. I knew he was right beside me, though.

I was vaguely aware that I was lying on a bed, but that was about all I noticed. I was too busy with the mind-numbingly painful feeling coursing through my body.

I clenched my jaw and tried to keep still... it didn't work. The tremors that wracked my body grew larger and larger. The only thing I could think about was the fire in my veins.

"I bet you're wondering about your dear little baby," said Aro.

I screamed again, partially because I was infuriated he would even bring her up, and partially because it was the only noise I _could_ make. Each beat of my heart rang in my ears. I was certain my head would explode... positive, even.

It felt as if my entire body was throbbing. Each time I took a breath, the air would burn my throat. I writhed on the bed, and scratched at my arms. The fire, the absolute agony, was just under my skin. I knew I was going to start bleeding.

"You can't have her back, you know. We are going to keep her. Oh, and go ahead and bring your family into it... I'm sure the two or three of you that survive the initial attack will be very easy to hunt down," he continued. The smile in his voice made me sick.

Hot tears ran down my face. The pain... it was too much. I couldn't handle it. Even falling down on the sidewalk made me sick. But this, this was different. I imagined that it was like being hit by a truck while getting shot in the back... all while on fire. It was not a good combination.

"Kill me," I managed to moan. My throat closed up a second later, and I somehow managed not to gag. I tangled my hands in my blond curls and pulled my hair.

"Oh, silly girl. That'd be no fun at all, now, would it?"

"Monster," I gasped. My chest heaved. I wished with every ounce of my being that I could just stop breathing. With each breath, the fire moved, setting another part of my body ablaze.

"We don't talk like that here," said Aro darkly.

I felt another incision on my side. He bit me... because I called him a monster. It was torture.

I screamed again and clutched at my side. My entire torso felt as if it were about to dissolve into itself. The feeling that resonated through my body was too intense to be described. The pain of my stomach staples was a stroll in the park compared to what was happening to me on that bed in Volterra.

I didn't know if seconds had passed, or minutes. Days or hours. I was going to die. It wasn't a matter of life or death, it was a matter of time. The longer it went on, the more tortuous it got. My body would spasm uncontrollably, and the only thing I could hear were Aro's satisfied chuckles. My insides were being incinerated, and all he could do was laugh.

I was so delirious because of the pain, I hardly noticed when the very tips of my fingers started to feel normal. It wasn't until almost my entire hand didn't hurt anymore that I realized the fire was ending. I wasn't going to die... but I was going to become a vampire.

My fevered screams shrank to dull whimpers. Finally, after the eternity that was the last few days, the last fire was extinguished. The last spot that hurt was my heart. When my heart stopped beating, I knew. There was no more fire.

I closed my eyes and didn't move. I didn't want to look at Aro's stupid dusty eyes. He was the one who had killed me.

"Open your eyes," demanded Aro.

I cringed once more, and then did as he commanded. He was insufferable, but I somehow couldn't disobey.

He was there, along with Felix and another girl, just staring down at me.

"I hate you," I whispered, looking right into Aro's eyes.

He smiled. "Oh, I know you do. You'll thank me for it in the long run. Now, because you obviously aren't thirsty, how wou-"

"How do you know I'm not thirsty?" I asked quickly. I sat up slowly. Felix watched my every move carefully. The girl just stood there, looking at me. She was beautiful, just like the rest of them.

"Well, that gene just evaporates, doesn't it?" asked Aro, mocking Jack almost perfectly.

My heart sank. If Jack listened to what I told him, he was still waiting for me. He was probably worried sick.

"How long has it been?" I murmured.

"About three days," answered Aro.

Before I could say anything else there was a knock at the door.

"Aro, Carlisle and one of his... children are here to see you," called the person on the other side of the door. It was Demetri.

"Ah, let them in!" Aro exclaimed.

The door swung open, and Carlisle and my dad burst into the room. Jasper headed straight towards me, while Carlisle stood at the door.

"Oh, Axelle," sighed my dad.

I hugged my knees and looked down. He would be disappointed in me. I left for Italy with my children and my husband, and I didn't even call him... I could be dead, and I didn't even say goodbye.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a tight hug.

"Aro, I will be taking my granddaughter with me," said Carlisle firmly.

"Oh, I expected that," Aro said.

"And I will also be taking my great-granddaughter."

Aro shook his head. "I'm afraid that's impossible. You see, we want her." Aro made it sound like that made everything okay. "And if you even think about disputing, you should know that it wouldn't end well for you. You know what we are capable of, Carlisle. Do you really want to bring that upon your family? Death always happens to bring a certain... sadness to things, doesn't it?"

Carlisle glared at Aro with more hate than I'd ever seen from him. "Aro, you know that I've respected you for centuries. I think this friendship is now over." Carlisle held out his hand, and Jasper helped me up. It wasn't as if I needed any help. I was up and had my hand in Carlisle's in less than a second. I was too disturbed to be excited about my speed, though.

Carlisle turned and left the room, pulling me along with him. My dad took my other hand. We weren't the only ones that left, though. Felix, Demetri, and the girl followed us.

When I heard Allegra, _my _Allegra cry from down one of the cold, stone hallways, I turned and tried to run. I needed her, she needed me. I wasn't going to let her stay here.

"No," murmured Carlisle.

I didn't listen. I pulled away from his grasp, and attempted to find her. I only got about a step away however, before I felt a sharp pain in my head. I gasped and fell to the ground. It was just enough time for Felix to scoop me up and get an unbreakable grip on me.

"What just happened?" I breathed.

Jasper looked infuriated. If it weren't for the two others in the room, he'd have ripped the little girl to shreds. She had a satisfied smile on her face.

"That was me," she admitted, raising her hand.

"Why would you do that?" I cried. "I just want my baby! Just my baby," I started to sob, but no tears fell from my eyes. That was one thing about vampires... no tears.

"No can do," said Felix. "Boss' orders."

My body went limp, and I allowed Felix to carry my along behind Jasper and Carlisle. They were both very tense.

When we got to the lobby, Felix let me go.

"It's dark, so you can leave now. Remember, don't come back here... it will not be good for you," he warned. Then he, Demetri, and the girl who had hurt me turned and swept out of the lobby.

I didn't move from where Felix put me. I knew that I was supposed to walk, but I couldn't. I could _not_ leave the building if Allegra had to stay inside of it.

Jasper put his arm around my waist. "I'm so sorry, Axelle. It'll put the entire family in danger. You don't understand how dangerous the Volturi is... there's nothing we can do." His voice cracked slightly. He loved Allegra, too.

Finally, I walked towards the door. Carlisle and Jasper had to explain repeatedly what it would mean if I tried to go back there. They told me to think of Jack and Ansel, and what'd happen to them if I attempted to take Allegra back.

When I stepped out the doors, I knew that something inside me had changed. I would never be the same. Ever.

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**That's the hardest chapter I've ever written... I hate writing change scenes with a passion. You have no idea. I mean, HOW in the world do you get around the word "pain" and the word "fire"? In a very long, irritating way, that's how. :)**

**Review, it'll ease my change writing fury.**


	36. Chapter 36

Carlisle drove me to the small hotel where the entire family was waiting. Carlisle and Jasper knew that I'd only want to see Jack, though, so they didn't bother taking me to see the others. Jasper took my hand and led me to the door. The entire way there, I didn't say a word. I was completely blank.

Jasper opened the door and pushed me softly into the room. The door closed behind me. Jack was sitting on the bed, holding Ansel in his arms. Ansel was sleeping peacefully. When I came in he looked up, and an expression of the utmost relief clouded his features.

"Axelle," he breathed.

I didn't move. I just stared at him, my face devoid of any emotion.

Jack put the baby down in the middle of the bed, and crossed the room in three strides. He snaked his arms around my waist and kissed my forehead. I still didn't move. He didn't say anything about me being a vampire, so the family must have told him what happened.

"Where's Allegra?" he murmured.

They hadn't told him everything that had happened yet... the only ones that even knew Allegra wasn't with me were Carlisle and Jasper, so it made sense.

I shook my head. "She's not here," I whispered.

He held me out at arms length and looked into my eyes. "Where is Allegra?" he repeated.

"The Volturi took her and then wouldn't give her back. I tried to get her, but Carlisle said it was too dangerous. He said that they were much too powerful to take on if we wanted to keep our family whole," I said, my voice muted. They took my baby, and there was not a single thing I could do about it.

Jack growled. "I swear, if they don't give her back I'll take them all on myself."

"No!" I exclaimed. "Jack, if you go back there they _will_ kill you. I've already lost one member of my family, and I sure as hell am not going to lose two." I took his face in my hands. "Promise me you will not go back there, Jack." As much as I desperately wanted Allegra back, I was not going to let Jack go on a suicide mission for her.

"Axelle, what are we going to _do_? What are we going to do? Those assholes have my baby, and there is no way in hell they are going to keep her!" he roared.

Ansel started crying, and I picked him up. He stopped crying as soon as I held him. I turned to Jack.

"I want her back just as much as you do, Jack. But think about what you're saying. There are so many of them, and the only ones willing to go from our clan are you and me. Two against all of them will not work. Think about Ansel, Jack."

He ran his hands through his hair and started pacing. "So your family is just _giving up_?" he asked.

"Yes," I whispered.

He dropped to the floor and put his head in his hands. "I hate them," he muttered.

I sat next to him, Ansel still in my arms. "Me too."

We didn't speak. I put my head on Jack's shoulder and Ansel fell back asleep in my arms. Neither of us made any attempt at conversation.

"Did it hurt?" Jack finally asked after what could have been hours.

"More than anything," I replied.

He put his arm around me. "I'm so sorry, Axelle."

I shrugged. "It doesn't seem so bad now."

The three of us sat there for what seemed like an eternity. Ansel would wake up every once in awhile, and then fall right back to sleep again. Our family wasn't complete anymore, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

**

Three weeks after we got out of Italy, Jack and I hadn't even started to recover. We were basically recluses, and we only ever left to pick things up for Ansel. Family tried to come over, but we weren't social enough to keep them entertained. We kept to ourselves. Emmett tried to come over and get us to do things three times before he gave up.

Being a vampire wasn't even all that different from being human when the thirst was factored out. I had to be exceptionally careful around the baby, and I'd yet to harm him in any way. It was a little disorienting at first. I didn't realize how fast I could move.

Finally, our family put their foot down.

I heard someone pull up to the house.

Jack and I were sitting at the kitchen table, where I was feeding Ansel and Jack was reading a book. I looked up at him, and he sighed.

"I sense an intervention coming up," I muttered.

"Like it'll do any good," he replied.

Ansel contributed a nice hearty burp.

"Glad you think so, too, Ansel," I said, wiping his face.

It was Emmett who came over, and he entered without knocking. Jack didn't look up from his book, and I didn't take my eyes away from Ansel.

"Axelle, Jack, I'm here!" boomed Emmett.

"Lovely," I murmured. "And just what are you doing here?"

Jack put his book on the table and looked at all of them. "If you think you can convince us to play Mario Kart with you, Emmett, you should know in advance it will not work."

"And we won't watch Mars Attacks either," I said.

"Or race."

"Or wrestle."

"Or anything else you have cooked up," finished Jack. "We're content to stay here for now."

Emmett grinned. "Well, that's good. I came here to take Ansel so you can have a night for yourselves. Lord knows you probably need a goo-"

"You are _not_ taking Ansel, thank you very much," I snapped.

Emmett held out his arms, palms out. "Whoa there, Axy. He'll be safe. Bella and Jasper want to take him for the night, and you know there aren't any better people to take care of him for you."

I looked at Jack, who seemed to be processing the idea. "What time will he be back tomorrow?"

"Ten?" suggested Emmett.

"What would we even _do_?" I asked.

Jack shrugged. "A puzzle?"

"Oh my God! You guys are so lame!" laughed Emmett. "A puzzle, really? You guys need to party it up. Pour some wine, which I _know_ you guys have because I put it in this house myself, and just let loose!"

I grinned. "I can't have wine, Unc." I turned to Jack. "And I think Jack's not going to have any alcohol."

Jack nodded. "But I supposed we can find something to do."

"Fine, take Ansel. But I swear, Emmett, if he comes back with even a hint of something wrong with him..." I said sharply.

"You don't have a thing to worry about," assured Emmett.

Five minutes later, we had Ansel all packed and ready to go. Emmett was slightly annoyed that three of them were spent giving Ansel goodbye kisses. When the front door closed behind them, I turned to Jack, who was standing with me in the entry way.

"What now?" I asked.

"How am I supposed to know? We could bake," I said.

"I'm the only one who could eat it," replied Jack.

I frowned. "But sugar cookies were so yummy."

He grinned. "You're so cute."

I looked down at what I was wearing. One of his giant t-shirts and a pair of jeans didn't really equal cute in my book. I looked back up at Jack, who was much, much more attractive at that moment then I was. It was then that I realized it had been three weeks since I had even kissed him.

My mouth dropped open. "Jack!"

"What, what is it?" he asked, alarmed. "Do you need something? I can go get Ansel!" He reached for his jacket that hung on the banister of the stairs.

"No, Jack. Do I smell like a vampire?" I asked.

He shook his head. "You smell wonderful, actually."

"Then can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Kiss me?"

He smiled and stepped closer. He cupped my face in his absurdly warm hands. The moment our lips touched, I was glad Ansel was out of the house. Having a baby cry even ten minutes would not fit into the plan for tonight.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed myself closer to him. He was so warm compared to me, it was oddly pleasant. He gripped my my the waist and hoisted me up. I wrapped my legs around him. I could feel his hard torso muscles through his shirt.

I was vaguely aware we were going up the stairs, and then suddenly I was on the bed. He hovered above me for a second, before throwing off his shirt. I did the same.

His lips moved to my neck, and he slowly kissed his way across my collarbone. Each spot he touched was left burning, just like his skin. My breathing sped up. I reached for the button of his jeans, and they were on the floor in only a second.

Before I could take mine off, I heard the front door slam open. Someone ran up the stairs just after. The door to our room flung open, and Emmett was there.

"I just wanted to know if you guys wan... eww," he said after he realized what he was looking at. He averted his eyes. "You guys were so pathetic, I decided to come over and help you think of something to do! I can see you thought of... something." He closed the door and was out of the house in less than a second.

I laughed loudly. "That was awkward."

"Oh, well," said Jack. "I won't let it ruin my night."

I smiled. Of course he wouldn't.

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	37. Chapter 37

"Ansel, dinner!" I called. Jack walked in the front door a second later. He somehow always managed to get back from the big house just in time for dinner.

"What smells so good?" he called. I heard him hang his jacket on the banister, and then walk into the main room. His arms were around my waist a second later. He kissed my neck.

"Spaghetti," I answered, even though he could clearly see it.

"Mom, Dad... eww," said Ansel as he walked into the room. At seventeen years old, he was growing like a weed. He had the pale skin that I had while I was human, but his dad's jet black hair. He glared at us, his ice blue eyes shining. He hated it when we showed even the slightest amount of affection towards each other. He said it gave him "bad mental pictures" which really just made Jack and I want to embarrass him more.

Jack grinned against my neck. "What, Ansel? Does this gross you out?" He spun me around and planted a nice juicy kiss on my lips.

"Oh my God, quit," he said, covering his eyes. He grabbed a plate and heaped a giant mound of noodles on top, then drowned the entire thing in sauce. He sat down in one of the stools at the island and dug in.

Jack did the same, and I was content to sit there and watch. As gross as food was to me, I always thought it was so funny to watch how the both of them devoured it. Jack and I knew that Ansel was going to become a werewolf soon, so I didn't really find anything strange with the insane amount of food he ate.

When he was finished, Ansel leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Great dinner, Mom. For someone who doesn't eat, you really can cook." Once he was old enough to keep a secret, he knew almost everything about his vampire and werewolf relatives. I learned for my own experience... wondering why your parents never ate was enough to drive a kid insane.

"What else am I supposed to do while you lazy heads sleep all day?" I laughed.

Ansel smiled. "Weirdo."

"Ahem, you're the weirdo. You and your dad, anyway," I laughed, hopping onto the counter next to him. "The majority of your family doesn't sleep."

"Hey, hey, hey! I am _not_ a part of this, thank you very much," said Jack, pushing his plate away.

"Don't sweat it, Dad. Everyone knows that you and I can beat Mom and Emmett any day of the week," said Ansel, waving his hand. "We totally beat them at Rock Band just _yesterday_."

"I'm calling him," I said, grabbing the phone.

"Hey!" yelled Emmett. The speaker on the phone crackled.

I laughed. "Come over. I believe Ansel has just challenged us."

"That little punk. What are we playing?" he asked. He was getting more and more excited by the second.

"Rock Band," I answered.

He didn't even answer. The line went dead.

I grinned. "He'll be over in a minute."

Ansel looked at Jack. "They actually think they can beat us," he laughed incredulously.

"They don't know any better, Ansel. I mean... Emmett's on their team, after all," said Jack in a stage-whisper.

"If you are implying that I am unintelligent, I may just have to rip your appendages off, good sir," said Emmett, strutting into the room. It really was handy that they lived less than a mile away. Commuting really _did_ take less than a minute.

Ansel, who was taking a sip of his soda, promptly spit it all over the counter. "That. Was. The. Best," coughed Ansel.

I sighed and wiped the counter off with a paper towel. "Way to go, Unc. Make my baby choke," I muttered.

"Mom, I'm not a baby," said Ansel.

"Come on, baby, time to kick your butt," I said, running up the stairs. I loved irritating Ansel... it was one of my favorite things about being a parent.

When we played Rock Band, I'd be on the guitar, and Emmett would be on the drums. When the others played, Jack was on the guitar, and Ansel was on the drums. We'd compete to see who could get a higher score on expert. The only reason they had won the day before was because Emmett _broke_ the drums.

"I swear, Emmett... if you break those drums, I'm going to be so irritated," I said, grabbing the guitar.

Emmett grinned. "I can't help it," he admitted sheepishly.

When the song ended, Emmett and I had gotten a hundred percent... like always. When Jack and Ansel played, Ansel missed on note.

"Ha!" yelled Emmett, dancing in front of the screen. Ansel threw the drum sticks at him.

"At least I didn't break them!" he exclaimed. He and Emmett got into a heated argument about whether or not breaking the game should be negative points in the massive competition that was our lives.

While they fought, Jack walked over to me quietly. "Good job, babe," he said. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I'm the best," I murmured.

"Damn straight," he said. He closed the short distance between us.

It only lasted a second before Ansel cried, "Gross! Will you guys stop it? As your son, I think I have the right to tell you that what your doing makes passersby sick."

Emmett laughed. "That's _nothing_. One time I came over to pick up some diapers for you, and it was the first time they would let you out of their sight for like three weeks. I walked in on them while they were having cheer up se-"

"Emmett, what the hell kind of thing is that to talk about?" I asked. I wasn't worried about the sex, I was worried that he would tell Ansel about his sister. Ansel had no idea he had a twin sister...

Jack and I had decided a long time ago that we wouldn't tell Ansel until we had to. It was too painful to talk about. When Allegra was lost, the situation was absolutely hopeless. Jack and I didn't want Ansel to grow up without parents, which is what would have happened if we had gone in to get her.

The room that was made for her was repainted white, and it didn't have a single piece of furniture in it. Ansel always asked what the room was for, and we told him we didn't know. We told him it was an extra room, and when we got an idea for something to put in there, we'd do it. The truth was, we would never put anything in there. All of Allegra's old baby clothes were up in the attic, sealed tight. Her toys were kept at the big house. We took away all the reminders of her.

"Mom, it's fine," said Ansel. "I know what a dirty mind Emmett has... it probably never even happened." It sounded like he was reassuring himself as much as he was me.

I shook my head and swept out of the room. I heard Jack tell Emmett that it was probably best if he left. Ansel said he was going to go work on homework. I was sitting on our bed, my head in my hands, when Jack came in. He sat next to me.

"Are you alright, Axelle?" he asked quietly.

"We just left her! We left her there!" I exclaimed.

"We had to. Ansel wouldn't have parents if we went back there. You know that," he said. He rubbed soothing circles on my back..

"Maybe they didn't... kill her," I whispered. "Maybe they just _took_ her."

"Maybe," mused Jack. I knew he doubted it. I did too...

**

_The dark, stone walls that I had grown so accustomed to over the years spun dangerously as I sat up. The pain was almost completely gone._

"_Are you okay?" asked Demetri, his hand on my forehead. He was always overly concerned about my comfort, my safety._

_I closed my eyes and nodded. "I... I think so."_

"_Oh, thank God," he sighed._

_I smiled. I was finally one of them._

_He smiled, too. I'd remember his next words for the rest of my life. "Welcome to the Volturi, Allegra."_

* * *

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